– SYNOPSIS –

Thanks to various magic, the human race has been saved from calamity
many, many times. Retaining his memories from his previous life, a boy, Shin,
was picked up by an old man known to the world as a “Magi.”

Shin was brought up by the Magi, who had retired to a secular place, as his
own grandson. With the memories of his past life, he absorbed the Magi’s
craft and grew to be able to develop his own magic.

Then, the grandfather told him he has to become independent when he

reaches the age of 15.

“Ah, I forgot to teach him common sense.”

The grandson who has grown beyond the level of normal people, lacked
common sense; the common sense of the world. So to learn how to socialize,
he goes to Earlshide Kingdom City to be admitted to Earlshide Advanced
Magic Academy.
It’s cold…

It hurts…

It’s painful…

These were the first impressions I felt.

When I awoke, I tried to retrace my memories before I lost my consciousness, however,

it wasn’t clear. After work, I went home…

Wait a minute, I don’t have any memories of arriving home.

I don’t remember getting drunk. Perhaps I should say I had no plans of dining out. Did
I maybe encounter some kind of accident?

Although I started to think of various situations, it wasn’t viable because of my painful

condition.

I tried to move my body, but it wasn’t responding well.

I tried opening my eyes, but that also didn’t go so well.

Finally, because of the unpleasant situation, I tried to speak.

“Aa—”

!!

I was surprised of my own voice.

It was a high-pitched cry that of an infant.

I tried to speak again.

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“Au, au, a—”

Because my tongue wasn’t moving well, it wasn’t possible to talk.

Because of uncontrollable emotions, I suddenly burst into tears.

Although it was a shameful act as an adult, I couldn’t help it.

What is this?

While I was crying for a while, I heard approaching footsteps.

As I thought, it was cold and raining outside, and the footsteps I heard issued some
squeaky noises.

‘I’m saved.’

I thought so for a brief moment, then, I heard a voice.

“☆※◇◎□○△▽”

I couldn’t understand it at all.

Falling into even further confusion, I was enveloped in a warm light, wrapped with a
warm cloth, eliminating the pain I felt.

I, who felt relieved, suddenly lost my consciousness.

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When I woke up, it looked like I was indoor of a wooden house.

Together with the smell of dense wood, sounds of firewood crackling could be heard.
I had apparently survived one way or another.

The stifling pain in my body had also disappeared, and perhaps because the mud in
my eyes were gone, I was able to open them.

When I looked at the surroundings, I saw an elderly person with a rich, white long
beard, and a similarly white, long hair.

Was he some kind of principal?

Putting my retort aside, the person who helped me was probably this old man. To give
my expression of gratitude, I called out.

“Aiauo—”

Again, my tongue didn’t move too well.

I was shocked because all the pain had already gone away, so I wondered if it was
because I suffered a disorder. The old man heard my voice and came over.

“☆◎○▽◇□※▽△”

As expected, I still couldn’t understand the spoken words.

Looking at me and blinking with surprise, the elderly man smiled at me tenderly and
brought a bowl of soup to feed me.

With wide-eyes, I stared at his hand moving to feed me; it was indeed embarrassing
to be fed.

At the bottom of my sight, I saw a hand of a child. I tried to move it, and it was no doubt

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my own hand. Once again, I saw the old man tilting his head with a puzzled expression.

‘This old man, doesn’t he look too big?’

Then, the old man looked at me with a worried expression on his face, held up a
spoonful of soup to my mouth, and I drank it.

The old man’s worried expression turned into tenderness as I drank all the soup in the
bowl. When I finished everything, he stroked my head.

Once my stomach was full, I soon became sleepy and immediately fell asleep.

With that, my consciousness faded away.

‘As I thought, the old man is too big.’

He really was.

The next day, when I woke up, I tried to verify the surroundings once more.

I had apparently turned into a baby.

No, no! Just how the hell did I turn into a baby?! But nevertheless, this seemed to be
reality.

Sleeping and awakening twice, it seemed this is definitely not a dream. Then, assuming
this is reality, how the hell did I turn into a baby? While thinking so, the answer arrived
quickly and unexpectedly.

The old man who helped me walked to the fireplace and ignited fire right from his
hand.

Magic.

That word crossed my mind. When I looked around the house, I noticed there were no
modern appliances.

Although the place looked like it was still during the primitive era, the standard of
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living didn’t seem low.

From a modern person’s way of thinking, it was feasible one would think the situation
was odd.

‘This place is definitely not Earth.’

There was no such thing as magic on Earth.

Perhaps it does exist and I just didn’t know anything about it. However, even after
assuming “magic does indeed exist,” from what I saw of the state of the house, it was
suggestive that this place was not Earth.

Given the situation, why am I here?

Not Earth, but a world where magic exists.

I, myself, have turned into a baby.

A language I couldn’t understand.

The answer I arrived after considering the situation was…

Reincarnation.

A situation that could only happen out of a fantasy was readily accepted.

Because the memory I have regarding the death of my previous life was rather vague,
it was probable that I encountered some kind of accident. Somehow, I seemed to have
died without my knowledge.

But now was not the time to think about it; my parents had already passed away, and
neither did I have a lover. Apart from the round trip from my house to the company,
my past times were watching anime, reading manga, and reading light novels.
Occasionally, I would also tour around riding my motorcycle. Although the future
always had its uncertainties, it was sad not knowing how one died.

…When one looks back at such life, it was impossible not to feel sad…

To be reincarnated in a world where magic exists; everyone must have thought of such

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things at least once. But now, I am experiencing the reality of ‘being reborn with the
memories of the past.’

While being thrilled about the fact, the old man who helped me once again brought a
bowl of soup.

Again, after my stomach was full, my consciousness drifted away.

No matter how excited I was, I could not oppose the sleepiness coming from the body
of a not-yet-one-year-old child.

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I was currently watching the birds hiding inside a slightly remote and lush forest.

At the moment, the birds were pecking at their food, when they suddenly stopped and
tried to fly away. However, on my palm of my hand, I produced a magic called ‘Vacuum
Wave’ and shot it towards the birds.

When the birds tried to fly away, the vacuum wave attacked one, cutting its neck, and
it fell defenselessly.

“Alrighty!”

I approached the bird I killed, dug a hole using magic, and held onto the foot of the
bird, letting its blood drip from its neck into the hole.

If one kills an animal and does not drain it of its blood, the flesh of the animal will
become bloody. And when it becomes bloody, its scent will attract other animals.

Even when the birds had gathered together, it was not a problem for me, since I had
the ability to probably kill them all. However, I did not want to engage myself in
unnecessary killing.

I stored the bird that had been drained out of blood inside a spatial created by magic.
Since the amount was sufficient, I headed home.

Somehow, I have turned five years old.

The grandpa who helped me had given me the name “Shin.” And because he raised me
as his own grandson, with grandpa’s family name being “Walford,” I thus became Shin
Walford.

The name of the grandpa is Merlin Walford.

Grandpa has a considerably vast knowledge when it comes to magic, and he taught me
kindly.

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Grandpa has a young vibe to him, and even though he has already retired deep in the
forest, people would still occasionally visit him.

Furthermore, they were different kinds of people such as an uncle who dresses
considerably well, a witch-like old woman, and a Knight-like person with various
amount of amazing looking equipment.

…I wonder what kind of person grandpa was…

However, that was the past. Now, he looks like an ordinary old man you can find
anywhere.

I had a lot of fun being taught magic by grandpa. Most of the time, he compliments me
on the way I use magic. He also praises me for the amount of food I am able to procure
by hunting inside the forest.

It was really fun to hunt in the forest using magic. Well, my real intention is to have
fun anyway.

Speaking of being taught how to use magic… The way to use magic in this world is not
by chanting long incantations, saying the name of the spell, or the like.

Magic is ‘imagination.’

The phenomenon known as magic is the caster’s ‘imagination’ and their ability to
materialize it.

But since it is difficult to ‘imagine’ using magic when one first started learning magic,
they would have some kind of visual in front of them to make it easier to imagine.

So it seems everybody pretty much cast the similar magic.

The reason for this is because of ‘imagination.’

Although the majority cast the similar magic, there are also those who differ.

For example, me; an original resident of modern day Japan, overflowing with
creativity who was then transported into this world. Since incantation wasn’t needed,
it was easy enough to reproduce things you would usually only see in animes and
mangas.
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Next, I was taught how to control my magical powers.

Even if a person’s imagination is stable, if something goes wrong and the magic is not
properly invoked, it could turn into chaos.

Magic control is needed to conjure magic. Magic is present anywhere and everywhere
in this world, but there’s no one who can control all kinds of magic perfectly.

Because this is a world where magic exists, people here will unconsciously use magic
at a level where their body will act on reflex. Truthfully, it was at a point where if one
cannot use magic, it will hinder the activities of their daily lifestyle. For example, to
produce drinking water, one would have to generate a small flame.

But without reasonable magic control, it would not possible for anyone to produce the
Vacuum Wave I used a while ago.

Other than not being able to imagine it, they also would not have enough magic power
to imitate it.

The reason why I was able to produce it was thanks to my daily magic control training
with grandpa; he taught me and helped me verify the extent of what is and isn’t
possible with magic.

After a while, I arrived home. To describe the wooden house and its arrangement, it
should be a 3LDK (living room, dining, and kitchen)?

There was a sink in the kitchen but there wasn’t a faucet, a portable cooking stove
ignited by magic, and a dining table for six people.

In the living room, there was fireplace, a coffee table, and an L shaped four and two-
seater sofa. As expected, the fireplace was not one that burns firewood, but fire was
supplied by magic.

Other than my own room, the other rooms were my grandpa’s bedroom and his study
room.

Incidentally, there was no second floor; it was a single-storied house.

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“Grandpa, I’m home.”

I said while entering the house.

“Oh, welcome home.”

“Sorry to bother you.”

Said a visitor who was together with grandpa. It was one of his acquaintance, a Knight-
like uncle who had wonderful equipment.

“Welcome, Michel-san.”

This uncle named Michel-san looks like a considerably young man with green eyes and
short blonde hair. As for his physique, although he didn’t look macho, he wasn’t thin
either; he had a lean but well-built figure.

However, I don’t know what he does.

Sometimes when he comes to visit grandpa, apart from magic, he would teach me
martial arts, swordsmanship, fighting using spears, and archery.

Although grandpa can also use martial arts to some extent, his main focus was magic,
and thus was inferior compared to Michel-san.

“Hohho, I wonder, what did you hunt today?”

Grandpa wanted to know the results of today’s hunting expedition.

“Today’s catch is a Hollow Bird and a Forest Rabbit.”

…Please pardon me if my words are hard to follow. It’s quite often when you read of
reincarnation, or being summoned to other world, one often doesn’t have some kind
of cheat to immediately learn the language. In addition, I’ve only been in this world for
5 short years…

“Hehh~ In addition to hunting a rabbit, you were also able to hunt a Hollow Bird?”

Ah… This is bad, I have a feeling something terrible is about to happen.

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“Although I used a knife to kill the Forest Rabbit, as for the Hollow Bird, I had to use
magic to kill it?”

Phew, that was dangerous. Because a Hollow Bird’s vigilance was very high, even
skilled hunters wouldn’t be able to easily hunt it. In addition to Hollow Birds being
extremely difficult to hunt, they were exceedingly delicious and remarkably expensive.

After practicing martial arts, my usage with weapons such as a knife, and bow and
arrow seemed to have graded up.

Although I love practicing magic because it’s very interesting, I’m not so much a fan of
training martial arts because it’s a lot tougher.

“Hmph, there’s no need for you to be so humble. Although magic was indeed used to
kill the Hollow Bird which boasted to have strong vigilance, it was instantly taken
down. If that’s the case, it seems you’ll only need a little bit more of harsh practice.”

Impossible! Can it really not be avoided?!

I saw grandpa leaning back while thinking. Help me out, grandpa. Your grandchild is
in a pinch!

“Hohho~ He’ll be in your care then.”

There was not a single ally inside this house.

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I once again went to the forest today.

To look for something to hunt.

…Or rather, I’ve been living in the forest for a while now.

Hello again, it’s Shin, I have turned 8 years old, and I have grown a little more.

After Michel-san’s gruesome training… my overall skills has leveled up. It really did. In
any case, it was because of it that I am now able to use physical enhancement magic.

Speaking of the things that have changed in the past three years, my martial arts isn’t
the only thing that has improved.

I acquired an additional instructor.

In fact, magic did not only consist of controlling magic power and releasing it, but
there’s also a type of magic called “Enchantment,” which is used to inscribe equipment
with magic. Later, it was found out that this kind of magic was not grandpa’s forte.

The type of magic each individual is able to use depends on their aptitude… It was
better to learn enchantment magic from someone who was good at it. Thus, I was
taught enchantment magic by one of grandpa’s frequent visitors who was good at it.

This person was the old lady who wears a pair of glasses, a black robe and a pointed
hat, and emits the aura of a “Witch.”

She has a tall stature, handsome appearance, and has incredibly good sense of style.

I suspect she was quite popular during her younger years.

Her name is “Melinda Bowen.”

I call her grandma Melinda. Whenever I call her Melinda-san, she won’t reply at all.

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But when I call her grandma Melinda, she has an ecstatic look on her face.

…Maybe she had something going on with grandpa in the past… I don’t want to know
about something so scary…

Although Enchantment magic is essential, enchanting itself wasn’t so difficult to do.

First, one must imagine the kind of enchantment one wants to transfer to an item on
the tip of their finger or wand. Then, use ‘a certain method’ to release the magic, and
apply it on the item.

After the item has been enchanted, the mechanism to activate the enchantment is
pretty simple.

It is said that these kinds of enchanted items are very useful to those who are unable
to use magic, or even the general public.

However, enchanted items, or rather ‘Magic Tools,’ are not very common, and because
they are scarce, they are very expensive. One can boost their status depending on the
amount of magic tool one carries.

Although the creation of magic tools itself is inexpensive, the fee for the technology to
create one is expensive.

Nevertheless, there’s also a method of transferring ‘phenomenal words written by

one’s own understanding.’

However, when one is writing those characters, there’s a limit on the number of
characters they can actually write.

A few characters for cheap materials, and a lot of characters for expensive ones.

It can be said that the more characters it has, the more expensive it is.

The characters of this world are alphabets, and multiple combined words have
identical meanings.

Since there are multiple words with the same meaning as one word, it wasn’t unusual
for the number for characters to not exceed more than a word.

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At that time, a thought suddenly came to my mind; what would happen if I were to
transcribe in kanji?

If it was possible to transcribe in kanji, then each character would be equivalent to one
word, and I could have multiple words with very few characters.

Because of my curiosity, I decided to test it out, and I was able to succeed easily.

However, I was excessively pressed for answers by grandma Melinda…

Thanks to my passion for learning magic for the past few years, I also began to like
enchantment magic.

…But I still find learning martial arts really tough…

Now, it was time to hunt, and in my hand, I gripped the weapon I made through
enchanting.

For long-ranged attacks, I use a “Rifle.”

For close-combat, I use “Vibration Sword.”

For movement assistance, I use “Jet Boots.”

I also have defensive clothing called, “Protection Suit.”

So there you have it.

The so-called “Rifle” is different from the ones on Earth. It doesn’t use any gunpowder,
but uses magic to compress air and then fires it. It is something similar to what one
might call an air-gun, but the power of the airgun is no match for the Rifle.

“Vibration Sword” is an edged tool that oscillates ultrasonic waves.

Although the weapons are a little heavy for children… and I still grunt a little whenever
I carry it, I had no problems wielding it thanks to body strengthening magic. Although,
I was able to carry it, but as I thought, it was a weapon one with the power of a child
could not carry. However, I was able to think of an idea; enchanting the weapon to
make it lighter.

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This idea became quite popular and received quite a reputation. To people who
worked in jobs that weren’t magic oriented, and thus powerless against magic, when
they found out I was able to make such enchantment, various people scrambled for
materials or dismantled things to get me to make this valuable enchanted item for
them.

As for “Jet Boots,” it shoots out a jet-like thing from a portion of its heel, and thus gave
the ability to move quickly and jump higher. One could also change their directions
while in mid-air.

Although the boots itself wasn’t too difficult to make… but controlling it was very, very
hard…

Before I was able to master it, even I was blown away countless times…

Judging from their looks, there would be no request of having me make one for them.
They were all donning all sorts of weird expression on their faces…

Lastly, the “Protective Suit” can be made with any ordinary clothing, and then
enchanted with “Penetration Prevention,” “Anti-Shock,” and “Anti-Magic.”

This is because it is hard to move in any armor heavier than leather.

Although I thought this would be popular… it unexpectedly had many pros and cons.

All Magicians, such as grandma, who works at jobs that utilizes magic are all greatly
admired. Soldiers such as Michel-san, who wears splendid armor, also has good status.

As usual, dressed in my equipment, which enabled me to conceal myself underneath

a bush, I began to aim at my prey.

What I was currently aiming at was a huge Wild Boar.

It was hungrily eating the nuts I had scattered around the ground.

While my prey was distracted by the food, I aimed my rifle at the middle of its forehead
and fired.

The bullet collided dead-center with its forehead, destroying its brain matter, exiting
via the back of its head.
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No matter how large an animal is, if one destroys the brain, it will not live. Not far away
from me, its 300kg body fell to the ground. I nimbly tie the Wild Boar’s legs to a nearby
tree with a rope, suspending it in the air, waiting for it to be drained of blood. Of course,
I dug a hole for the blood to drip into so it wouldn’t splatter.

After it’s been drained out of blood, I started dismantling it.

When I first dismantled an animal I got really nauseous, but I got used to it. Now, all I
see of my prey is meat.

After I finished hunting, I went home. Today, both grandma Melinda and Michel-san
were there.

“Oh, welcome home. Did you go hunting?”

“Hello, grandma. Yeah, I’ve just returned today after hunting a boar.”

“Ho~, you’re even able to hunt wild boars now.”

This praise gives me a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

“No, I used my rifle, and it still seems impossible with a sword?”

“Haha, don’t be so modest. Even if you were using a firearm, to be able to kill such as
large prey such as a Wild Boar; it’ll be fine if you were to train a little harder.”

Yes, the standard phrase has come.

I turned to look at grandpa for assistance.

“Hohho, please go easy on him.”

Tch, even he said the standard phrase! This—

I mean, grandpa, whenever you’re here, you only ever talk about this and nothing else!

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Today, I went to the forest with grandpa.

Hi, it’s Shin, and I’ve turned 10 years old.

I have grown taller as well. Now that I mention it, I have just recalled I haven’t
described what kind of appearance I have in this world…

Although it’s a little late to mention this, I seem to have a slight Western-style
countenance with black hair and black eyes? My facial structure is unlike the
ruggedness of a Japanese person from my previous world but has a deeper feature.

Instead, my appearance looks like a thin handsome fine youth, and could almost be
mistaken as a face of a woman’s. However, since I don’t know the standards of beauty
in this world, I wonder if that’s the case here. Incidentally, black hair and black eyes
are the commonalities here. And thus, there were no discrimination nor persecution
in particular. That’s how it is.

In any case, around the time I had grown to the appearance I described above, because
grandpa said, “You’re going to be able to hunt demons soon,” we went on our first
demon hunt.

The things I’ve been hunting until now were “animals.” Humans also fall into the same
category as animals. But in this mana-based world, animals can also receive the
blessing of mana. However… when animals absorb mana excessively and lose control
of that mana, they turn into demons.

When an animal turns into a demon, it starts using magic from the excess mana they
had absorbed. Indeed, those rabbits or wild boars will, too. This concept also applies
to humans.

Fortunately, humans rarely turn into demons since they have the skill to control magic
using their own will. However, it seems like such as a case had happened in the past.

It was a case where a person lost their self-control, started to rampage using magic,

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made a few towns and villages disappear, and even made a nation perish.

At that time, a person was demonized. It is commonly known as a Devil, and was
defeated by grandpa, or so it seems.

Grandpa often told me this as a bedtime story.

Therefore, even to this day, it seems like grandpa is still being treated as a hero in this
country. Incidentally, this was from Michel-san’s information.

That kind of grandpa was taking me on my demon hunting debut.

Up until now, I’ve done magic training, martial arts practice, and completed my
equipment by means of magic tool creation. In addition, from the result of hunting for
food every day, it was decided that it would be okay for me to go on a demon hunt
soon.

And so, we went deeper into the back of the forest where I usually hunt.

“Umm grandpa, how do I find and hunt just demons? Isn’t the forest filled with other
animals?”

“Hoho, all right then, why don’t I teach you how to search for demons.”

After he said that, I was taught the method for searching demons.

“First, you need to thinly spread your mana around.”

“Okay.”

“After you do that, when something that has mana touches the mana you have spread,
you can feel its presence.”

“Oh~”

“All creatures have some mana inside them, and because of this, you will immediately
know where it is. This is referred to as ‘search magic.'”

As he said that, he taught me a new magic.

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Or rather…

“…It would have been nice if you had taught me this sooner. It would have made
hunting much easier.”

“Hoho, that is also training. Besides, this magic cannot be used if you cannot control
your mana to a certain extent.”

Even though I sulked a little at grandpa who said that, I didn’t say anything more since
I understood why he didn’t say anything about it. I then tried out the magic I’ve just
been taught.

“I somehow expected this, but succeeding on the first try… this child is truly
outstanding.”

Grandpa seemed to have been muttering something, but I didn’t have time for any of
that. I already had my hands full with differentiating the animals in the forest that I
sensed with my search magic. And then…

“!!??”

“Ho, did you find something?”

I grasped all the noticeably large mana amongst the mana scattered throughout the
forest. I immediately recognized grandpa’s mana who was standing right next to me,
and grandma who was probably still inside the house. Their large and warm mana.
However, the complementing mana at the moment was large, but even more than that,
it was an ominous mana. This is…

“That is a demon’s mana.”

Grandpa said such words lightly, but this was dangerous. There was no way we can
leave this kind of thing alone.

“Grandpa, let’s go quickly! If we leave that thing alone, it will turn into a terrible
matter!”

“It seems so, this is probably going to be a little bit unpleasant.”

As soon as he said that, the two of us ran towards the source of the mana. I ran through
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the forest; running in between the trees, jumping over obstacles such as big rocks
using jet boots, and chopping down fallen trees that blocked the way using Vibration
Sword. By the way, grandpa only used body strengthening magic.

Damn it.

While completely ignoring animals that would sometimes appear, such as rabbits,
deer, and wild boars, we finally arrived at the location. The place was…

On the scene, there was a huge bear with its height exceeding three meters and was
devouring a boar of the same size.

“!!”

I instantly felt nauseous towards the excessively sinister mana.

I held back my nausea and focused on the demonized bear engrossed in devouring the
boar. When suddenly, the bear noticed us and slowly turned its face towards us.

What I first noticed about it was its deep red eyes. The redness not only covers its
white part of its eyes but its pupil as well, making one feel an intense sense of
discomfort, in addition to its suffocating mana.

This was a demon.

As I held back the fear welling up in me, I grabbed the Vibration Sword hanging at my
waist with both hands. And then…

“GWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

The bear roared, baring its hostility towards us.

“!!?”

I flinched for a moment but I recovered myself and activated the Jet Boots. I also
directed mana into the Vibration Sword, activating it, and then jumped towards where
it was.

“!? Shin, wait a moment!!”

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Grandpa, who hadn’t said anything until then, shouted, but it was too late. I had
already jumped forward. The bear brought down its right arm at me who is plunging
towards it. Its arm went right passed me, who had just avoided it by moving to the
side using the Jet Boots’ propulsion, and it hit the ground to where I was at just before.

BAAAANG! ! ! !

A tremendous sound echoed around the area, and the ground burst open.

The attack created a small crater on the ground.

While having a cold sweat after looking at such sight, I sneaked behind the bear and
jumped, aiming for its head. Even the strongest demon won’t be able to live once you
cut off its neck! Then, as I was about to swing my Vibration Sword down, the bear
swung its left arm while rotating its body.

I panicked and used my Jet Boots to jump over its head and landed in front of it. Damn
it, the bear used body strengthening. It was unbelievably agile. What do I do? For the
time being, that arm is a hindrance.

While I was thinking, the bear’s right arm once again came crashing down on me.

It was a monotonous b—tard. As I thought that, this time, I jumped, not to the side,
but forward to its bosom. And then, aiming at the base of the right arm that was
swinging down, I swung the Vibration Sword up.

The bear’s right arm got separated completely from its body.

“GWAAAAAAA!!!!!”

Then, while raising its writhing voice, it swung its left arm again.

That left arm also was cut down from the base. Once again I went behind it, aimed for
its head, and jump.

“You’ll never disturb anyone again!”

While I was shouting that, I turned towards the neck, and in one flash, the bear’s neck
was detached from its torso.

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BAAAAM!!! The bear made a sound as it fell to the ground.

Phew, I defeated it.

So this was a demon, huh~ Certainly, it’s different from the animals I’ve faced before;
it’s troublesome that it can use magic.

Well, for my first demon subjugation, I did quite well, I guess? While thinking that, I
turned around to look at grandpa and saw him with his mouth agape, standing around
in a daze.

Eh? What? Did I fail or something?

“Grandpa?”

“Oh? Ooh! Sorry, sorry, I blanked out for a moment there.”

“Is it okay with this? I didn’t fail, right?”

“Ooh, of course. You handled this situation perfectly, to the point where there’s nothing
more to be done.”

“Really!?”

I did it! My first demon subjugation was a success!

“Well then, let’s go home. I’m hungry.”

“Hoho, is that so? If that’s the case then, let’s go home.”

Thus, after finishing my first demon subjugation, we took the path heading home.

“… This was …unexpectedly really… fun…”

? Although grandpa was muttering about something on the way back, I couldn’t quite
catch it due to the sounds of the wind, and because we were running at high speed.
What was it I wonder? Was he thinking about the next training material?

While we did this and that, we arrived at the house, and as usual, I arrived at my bed.

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Late at night when Shin had already fallen asleep. In the house’s living room, the fellow
teachers, Merlin, Melinda, and Michel, had gathered around.

“What! Of all things, it was a Red Grizzly that turned into a demon?!”

Melinda raised her voice.

“Yes, it was. When I was sensing its mana, I thought, ‘impossible.'”

“However, that demon, Red Grizzly, was instantly killed by Shin…”

Silence descended between Merlin and the rest of the group.

“What in the world is that child? The speed in which he learns magic is unusual, and
as for martial arts, he can also keep up with Michel’s gruelling training albeit
unwillingly. It is especially with enchanting magic, he uses an original language. If he
is said to have come from a different world, I can believe it.”

Melinda struck at the heart of the matter and spoke her opinion.

However, it was still unknown that Shin had memories of the time he spent in a
different world during his previous life.

“Well, it doesn’t matter who he is. He calls me “ojii-san,” and he absorbed all the magic
I have cultivated. Originally, he was a child I picked up, but now, I think of him as my
own grandson. It can’t be help that I dote on that child. For him to be stronger means
he is more able to protect himself. So there’s no problem at all.”

Merlin gave a speech completely like an idiot-grandpa*. Melinda and Michel looked at
Merlin with an unbelievable face.

[T/N: It has similar meaning to “idiot-couple” or “baka-couple.”]

“Truly, for you who have been called ‘God of Destruction’ or ‘Crimson Devil King’ to be
saying that…”

“Umm… Can you please stop calling me that way? When you bring back the black
history of my youth, it makes me writhe in agony…”
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It seemed that grandpa used to considerably do as he pleased when he was younger.

“Fufu, but now he’s being called ‘Magi,’ and is even referred to as a ‘Hero.'”

“Really now, I can feel the passage of time.”

“…Can you stop that, too, because it’s embarrassing…”

Melinda, who was teasing Merlin, casually spoke these words.

“Well, I also feel the same way, thinking that child is adorable. Whenever that child
calls me ‘obaa-chan,’ a smile will always appear on my face no matter what. I also think
of that child as my own grandson.”

“…”

A subtle mood circulated between Merlin and Melinda. Michel, who can’t read that
kind of mood, said.

“But still, he has grown up to the point of being able to crush a demonized Red Grizzly
by himself. It seems like it’ll be okay to be more a little more strict during his next
training.”

He once again said his standard phrase.

“Haa… that child is also unfortunate. This muscle brain has taken notice of him.”

Melinda muttered while worrying about the body of her grandson.

“Hoho, please go easy on him.”

Once again, grandpa said his standard phrase.

Unbeknownst to Shin, his martial arts training level upgrade had been decided.

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The day after I subjugated the demon, Michel-san’s training was upgraded yet again.

Why?

In addition, grandpa and grandma’s appearance also looked a bit strange. There was
some kind of a subtle mood drifting between them.

Why?

After spending a day with that kind of unknown situation, grandpa called me over to
talk when I got out from the bathtub I created soon after I learned enchanting magic.

“Shin, do you have a moment, please.”

“Hmm? Grandpa?”

“There is a little story I have to tell you.”

“Hmmm.”

By the way, grandma and Michel-san had already gone home. Somehow, they were
always around, but just like the other day, they almost never stay over, and it wasn’t
like they came every day as well.

And in such a situation where there’s only two of us left, grandpa started his talk.

“Actually, Shin, I would like to talk about your origin.”

“My origin?”

So it was about that, huh, does he want to talk about the time when he found me?

“Actually, umm, Shin, you’re not my real grandson.”

“Eh?”
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…Sorry, I already knew about that…

“I’m sorry… for having kept quiet about this until now.”

“No… I don’t mind something like that…”

For now, let’s straighten out the story here.

“And so… if I’m not your real grandson, why am I living with you, grandpa?”

“It’s something that had happened about 9 years ago. By chance, I was walking down
the road to go shopping in a nearby town. Then, while I was walking, the rain started
to fall, and I strayed from the road a little to seek shelter from the rain in the nearby
forest.”

“Rain…”

Come to think of it, it was also raining at that time.

“Back then… there seemed to have been a carriage that had passed by earlier… but it
looked like it had been attacked by demons… and it was in a terrible condition.”

A demon… a carriage that was attacked… I can somehow imagine it.

“All around laid the wreckage of the destroyed carriage and… the… mangled human
remains… I came near the scene because I thought there might be some survivors, or
at very least, I can mourn for the victims. After I did that… I heard a baby’s crying voice
from the surrounding of the carriage’s wreckage.”

Grandpa firmly fixed his gaze on me as he was told the story up to that point.

“I panicked and searched for the owner of that voice. It was then… when I found the
baby.”

“And that was me…”

“That’s right. Probably when the carriage was attacked, you lost consciousness due to
shock. And when it started to rain, it lowered your body temperature, and you were
almost at a state of suspended animation. It was probably because of your state that
you weren’t noticed by the demon, and was left alive.”

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So that’s what happened, I started to think it was strange to be left alive even though
a demon had attacked, but I had fallen into a state of suspended animation, huh. Maybe
it was because of the overwhelming stress that the memories of my previous world
had returned. And maybe it was also because of it, that I was able to recover from my
state of suspended animation?

“I’m not certain how you recovered from your state of suspended animation. But you
recovered your breathing just as I came close to you. I thought it was fate, and after I
mourned for the victims, I carried you back home with me.”

“So… who are my parents and where are they from?”

“I’m sorry, but because they were mercilessly murdered… I couldn’t find a single thing
that could identify them.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

“…You’re considerably calm about this…”

Hmm yea, after all…

“Even after being told about my parents, it’s probably because I don’t remember them
at all.”

“There is also that fact, huh.”

In addition…

“And besides, I have you, grandpa”

“…!”

That’s right, there was still grandpa who really dotes on me and raised me even though
I wasn’t his real grandson.

“And there’s also Grandma Melinda, Uncle Michel. In addition, there’s also Uncle Dis,
Chris-neechan, and even though he’s a frivolous person, there’s also Sieg-niisan.”

There are names of people who have yet to make an appearance, so please forgive me.

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“Look, that’s why I have never once thought I was lonely because I don’t have parents.
Rather, it’s already too noisy that it’s troublesome.”

“Shin…”

And so…

“That’s why, grandpa.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for finding me.”

He saved my life.

“Thank you for helping me.”

And always letting me eat delicious meals.

“Thank you for doting on me”

And for teaching me all sorts of magic.

“I am very happy to be taken in by grandpa.”

Even though I immediately met with such misfortune soon after I was born, right now
I am so blessed. I haven’t had this much happiness before.

“Shin… u, urgh… u, u, U ou uu!”

Not good, grandpa really cried. However, it was my true feelings, so it was good that I
was able to say it.

Grandpa, thank you.

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Today, I once again went out with grandpa.

Although I said we “went out,” it wasn’t because we needed to buy something or were
going to have a picnic.

The purpose of today’s outing was to see how much magic I could use. In other words,
it was something like a magic examination. It was the reason why we were not at the
usual forest, but in a plain where there were no trees or grasses growing.

Since grandpa had told me about this place, I’ve been using it to practice my magic.

“Hmmm? This place, has it always been this kind of terrain?” Grandpa was muttering
about something.

“Maybe you’re mistaken since you haven’t been here for a while? Well, rather than
that, let’s get this started quickly.”

For a moment, I had cold sweat and quickly urged grandpa to start.

“That’s right. Well then, let me see how much magic Shin is able to use now.”

And so, the so-called “graduation exam” began.

I immediately gathered my mana. Well, I wonder what kind of magic I should start
with? Maybe I should start with the basic ‘Fire’ first?

First, I imagined combustion. I ignited the oxygen around the air and produced a
kindling. Furthermore, I gathered the surrounding oxygen and incited the combustion.
Then, the resulting flame was fed plenty of oxygen and its temperature rapidly
increased.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a pale blue flame such as this…”

Then, I produced a couple more of the same kind of flame in the surrounding.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 36 | 279
“This is the first time I’ve seen these many flames at once as well…”

From start to finish, it only took me a moment to produce the flames. Then, I released
the flames towards the ground a little further away from us.

Thuuudd!!!

After it was released with a muffled sound, it landed on the ground.

Although I fired an ultra-high temperature flame, since it was not an explodable flame,
it didn’t particularly burst nor scatter. However, the ground where the ultra-high
temperature landed had melted and became similar to magma. Some of the places
were even vitrified.

“…”

Hmm? What are grandpa’s impressions?

Well, it’s fine. Moving on to the next thing.

Next, I once again produced the same kind of flame as I did earlier, but this time, I
turned the flame into a long and thin shape, and also added a rotation to it. The image
I had was of a bullet.

The launched flame bullet landed at the same place as the previous flame balls, but it
had speed incomparable to the flame balls.

BOOoooM!!!

Because the factor called “speed” had increased, the bullet not only melted the ground
because of the heat it produced, it also carried the momentum of the acceleration and
blew away the surroundings.

“…”

What? No reaction again?

Then, next, next.

This time, I wrapped a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen around the similar flames I

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 37 | 279
produced before, making sure they won’t touch each other. Then, this time, I turned
towards a place a lot further away and fired the flames.

KABOOooOOOM!!!!!

I caused a tremendous explosion.

Ah, I made a huge crater. Well, it’s no big deal since we chose this plain for such
reasons; even if this kind of thing happened, it would be fine.

“…”

Hmm? Why isn’t grandpa saying anything to me?

It can’t be helped, I’ll show him another magic…

“…Haa! This! Wait! It’s fine, this much is enough already.”

Oh. Grandpa finally spoke.

“How was it, grandpa.”

“Really, I never thought it to be this much… Since you frequently started coming here
alone, for you to have grown this much…”

“In other words?”

“No complaints, you passed.”

O-oh!

“Alright!!!”

I lift both my arms and made a triumphant pose. Well, the effort I’ve put in order to be
acknowledged by grandpa had been worth it.

“You’ve really become splendid… tomorrow, you’ll turn 15 years old, and you’ll
become an adult. With this, you’ll be independent…”

“Oh…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 38 | 279
…That’s right. I’ll turn 15 years old tomorrow. In this world, 15 years old is considered
as an adult. Excluding some exceptions, one had to go out to society when they turn
15. Since this place is deep in the forest, to go out to society meant I’ll need to leave
the house.

At the moment, there was not a hindrance when it comes to living here. Since that was
the case, I thought it would be okay even if I don’t leave the house. However, grandpa,
grandma, and the other adults didn’t allow it.

Because of that reason, when I turn 15, it was decided that I will leave this house in
the forest and live elsewhere.

Incidentally, clothes, daily necessities, and etcetera, were brought to us by an uncle

who trades among the adults who occasionally comes here. As such, I never had to
leave the forest.

Thus, although there are mixed feelings inside of me, and I felt lonely about leaving
grandpa, there was also a part of me who was looking forward to leaving this forest
and starting a new life.

While still having mixed feelings, I opened a “gate” to return home.

This “gate” magic was one of my original. A magic that creates another dimension
where one can store things inside it already exists. Grandpa also uses it, and the one
who taught me about it was also grandpa. It seems this magic was a relatively major
one.

“Gate,” a type of magic with the ability to interfere with another dimension.

With this magic, one had to imagine connecting the place they were currently at, and
the place they want to go to with a ‘point’ instead of a ‘line.’

…Hard to understand, huh. For example, drawing two points on a piece of paper, and
connecting those two points with the shortest distance possible, which can be done
not by drawing a straight line. The shortest distance is when one bends the paper to
connect the two points directly.

When one imagines as such, the gate can easily be opened.

The reason why I didn’t teleport directly was because to teleport, meant one had to
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 39 | 279
temporarily decompose their body and reconstruct it when they reached their
destination. Somehow, when I imagine I might not be able to reconstruct my body
properly, I got scared and lost my will to test it out.

And so, I opened the gate and was about to go home when…

“Haa… This magic is so convenient… Since you can use this magic, you can come back
at any time, so you don’t need to be so disheartened.

Ah, I see! Because I have this, I can come back at any time!

…Yes… I hadn’t noticed this until now.

Because my main concern had been dispelled, I became considerably relaxed and
went back home.

The next day. A party was held to celebrate my 15th birthday. The participants were
grandpa, grandma Melinda, Michel-san, Uncle Dis, Chris-neechan, Sieg-niisan, and
uncle Tom.

People whose name only showed up once, or were mentioned for the first time were
also here, huh.

Uncle Dis is a nice middle-aged uncle who has a head of golden hair, wears a mustache,
and has emerald-green eyes. He always wears very fine quality clothing and has a
sense of style? Charisma? And somehow has an aura of a capable company president.

He had the appearance of a sociable uncle. He always had difficult conversations with
grandpa, and since I wasn’t told of the contents of their discussion, I don’t know what
he does for a living.

Chris-neechan is in her early twenties who has a head of red hair and ties into a
ponytail, and light-brown eyes. She’s a person who always wears an armor that
doesn’t obstruct her movement, and has a firm and slender body.

Because she is a very serious and a stubborn person, I rarely see her laugh.
Nevertheless, she is a kind person. It’s regrettable that she’s unsociable… Even though
I think she has big eyes and a cute face, she also has various demerits.
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Sieg-niisan is a silver-haired good-looking big brother with blue eyes. I think he’s a
magic user judging from the easy-to-move clothes and the robe he wears. However,
since he’s good-looking and has an easy-going personality, even if it was said that he
was living a life as a gigolo, there won’t be anything strange about it.

Sieg-niisan and Chris-neechan were like oil and water… Whenever they meet, it
becomes a fight. They were often scolded by grandma Melinda and Michel-san to not
fight, in front of me.

Uncle Tom is the previously mentioned Merchant who comes to our house. It seems
he’s the representative of a fairly large business, but since he seemed to be in
grandpa’s debt, even until now, he still brings goods to our house himself. He’s a plump
uncle who has light-brown hair and eyes and has the kind of body that shows the
dignity of a Merchant. He is a very kind uncle, and always brings books or something
for me.

Chris-neechan and Sieg-niisan only came here recently together with Uncle Dis, and
as for grandma Melinda, Michel-san, Uncle Dis, and Uncle Tom, they often came here
since long ago.

And so, as grandpa’s visitors, they also came for my birthday celebration.

By the way, since my actual birth date isn’t known, my first birthday was set on the
day I was picked up. However, when I was picked up, it seemed that I was roughly one-
year-old.

Then, the celebration for my 15th birthday started. The one who started it off was
Uncle Dis.

“Well now, for this occasion, the grandson of our very own hero, Master Merlin, has
turned 15 and has turned into an adult. To celebrate this, I want to propose a toast.
Well everyone, pick up your cups. To the 15-year-old Shin-kun and becoming an adult,
cheers!”

” ” ” ” ” “Cheers!” ” ” ” ” ”

“Everyone, thank you very much.”

Like this, the party began.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 41 | 279
“To think that the really small baby, Shin, has become an adult, huh…”

For a while, grandpa and grandma continued boasting of their grandson, and I felt
extremely embarrassed. Before long, the topic changed to what I will be doing from
now on.

“Come to think of it, Shin-kun, what are you going to be doing after this?”

Was what Uncle Dis asked.

“Well… For the time being, I’ll try going to a nearby town.”

“I see, and after that?”

“After that?”

Come to think of it, I didn’t think of what I would do after arriving in town.

Suddenly, the place was shrouded in silence.

“What? There has to be something, right? If you go to a town or a city, Shin-kun, you
could probably work as a Demon Hunter, or you could also set up your own Magic Tool
Shop with your Enchanting magic, and there’s also an option of meeting a beautiful
girl, get close to her, and let her support you.”

“Only you would come up with an idea such as that.”

Sieg-niisan and Chris-neechan started staring daggers at each other.

“A Hunter? Is it that easy to set up my own magic tool shop?”

What? I can receive payment for subjugating a demon? Although I understand what a
magic tool shop is, I probably can’t set up a shop immediately, right?

“Although it’s an impossible thought… Shin-san, don’t tell me you have never gone
shopping until now?”

“Ah, come to think of it, apart from getting things from Uncle Tom, I have never gone
shopping before. Also, because I have grandpa, I’ve never had to exchange anything
for money.”

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When I answered Uncle Tom questions, the room was once again wrapped in silence

“Merlin… you…”

“Master Merlin, this is…”

Both grandma Melinda and Michel-san looked at grandpa.

Then, grandpa said…

“Ah, I forgot to teach him common sense.”

” ” ” ” ” “What did you say~~~~~!!!” ” ” ” ” ”

Come to think of it, apart from learning magic, he didn’t teach me anything else.

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The next day, after being surprised during the birthday celebration where it was
revealed that grandpa has not taught me the common sense of this world, I once again
went to that plain where I practiced magic, together with everyone else.

When “gate” opened, everyone was so surprised to the point where their jaw dropped.

As for the reason why we came there, they wanted to confirm what kind of magic I
have learned from grandpa since I was ignorant about this world. This idea was
brought up by grandma, everyone else agreed and said they also wanted to see, too,
and so I brought them along.

“Haa… Although I was surprised by the “gate” magic he used, when I think about the
fact that he especially came all the way to this place to practice magic… Ah, I don’t
want to think about it too much.”

“Although you said that, Master Melinda, if we don’t check it out, we won’t know what
kind of trouble Shin-kun might get himself into, so just give up and let’s go confirm it.”

…Somehow grandma and Uncle Dis said some rude things. Well, that’s fine as well, and
since everyone is here, I shall go at it at full force.

And like that, not only did I showed them ‘Fire’ magic I showed grandpa yesterday;
using ‘Water’, I turned it into a whip and also made a frozen water bullet fly.

Using ‘Wind’, I made a downburst occur by utilizing ‘Gust, Vacuum Wave, Whirlwind,
and Atmospheric Pressure Difference’ and generated electricity. With it, I used
‘Lightning Strike’; I bent ‘Light’, invoking optic camouflage.

I also gathered sunlight and shot a beam from the sky. Using ‘Earth’, I created an ultra-
hard wall, shot a barrage of the surrounding earth, and made protruding cone-shaped
stakes on the ground as a counter for people who would try to charge towards me.

After I showcased different kinds of magic, I turned around to look at everyone.

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Everyone somehow gave a dry smile as if they had given up on something.

It was rare to see this kind of expression on Chris-neechan’s face.

While I was thinking of this, grandma Melinda walked towards grandpa and grabbed
him.

“Merlin! You… You… Why did you not teach this child ‘prudence’!!!'”

“Certainly…”

“This is slightly terrible, huh…”

Eh~ Isn’t everyone being a bit cruel?

“But you see, he absorbed everything I taught him, and so I unintentionally wanted to
see how far he could go.”

“What do you mean ‘and so!’ It’s appalling!!”

Ooh, grandma Melinda got super angry.

“If we don’t consider it properly, he won’t be able to go out into the world… Magic with
this much destructive powers… Even with just the transfer magic called ‘gate’ which
Shin-kun used earlier… If any country gets their hands on Shin-kun, the possibility of
them aiming for world domination is high.” Uncle Dis started to talk about unpleasant
things.

Eh? Was it really that dangerous? My magic can’t be used by just anyone?

“Yeah, in addition, he also received martial arts training from Michel-sama. He can also
do close-range battle, and as for long-range magic, he has this kind of power. If this
was known, every country would desperately attempt to capture Shin for themselves.”
Chris-neechan also interjected.

Eh? Was it this serious?

While I was bewildered by how things unexpectedly turned out, Uncle Dis opened his
mouth once again.

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“…Master Merlin, there’s something I’d like to talk about, is it okay?”

“Huff… Huff… Before that… can you… do something… about this grandmother?”

“Whose fault is it! Whose!”

Grandpa, who was being choked by the nape of his neck, said with a faint breath.

Grandma, if you get too excited, it’s not good for your body.

“Whose fault is it! Whose!”

Not good, this time, she was aiming for me.

Thanks to that, grandpa escaped from grandma’s constriction and started the talk
with Uncle Dis.

“Master Merlin, truth be told, Shin-kun’s power is abnormal. He has a power that can
disturb the power distribution of every country. In addition, Shin-kun is ignorant of
the world aside from this forest. If he was to be thrown to society as he is, he will be
manipulated by every country’s intentions. That is not good for either Shin-kun or for
the world.”

“What you say is right…”

Well, that’s a bit cruel. Even when I’m like this, I was a proper member of the society
in my previous world. However, since I didn’t tell anyone about it, they, of course, had
no idea.

“Therefore, here’s an idea. Why don’t you admit Shin-kun into a certain Advanced
Magic Academy in my country?”

“…That, are you attempting to take Shin in on behalf of your country?”

There was a certain sharpness in grandpa’s voice… This was the first time I’ve heard
him speak in this kind of tone…

“Right now, in this place, I swear I will not use Shin-kun for military purposes. I’ve
watched Shin-kun grow up ever since he was an infant. To throw Shin-kun, whom I
have always treated as my own nephew, in the midst of wartime, my feelings won’t

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 47 | 279
permit it.”

“If it’s like that, then what exactly do you mean?”

“As you might have already known, there’s an Advanced Magic Academy in the capital
of my country. This academy is an institute for higher education where we train
students who are particularly excellent amongst the students who have finished their
secondary education at the age of 15. It is a place where the especially talented people,
even amongst magic users, have gathered. If it’s that place, we can find out how
abnormal Shin-kun’s magic is, and compare it to the level of other magic users who
are generally deemed as excellent.”

…I am, abnormal? Seriously?

“Moreover, the enrollment to Advanced Magic Academy starts from the age of 15. Don’t
you think it’s the perfect opportunity for Shin-kun, who never went out with people
of the same age, to make friends? Although Chris and Sieg are close in age, well…
they’re like this…”

Ah, Chris-neechan and Sieg-niisan, who were glaring at each other… suddenly averted
their eyes.

… Like that, of course, they’ll get treated as ‘like this’…

“I see what you mean…”

“Certainly, Master Merlin has a house in the royal capital. If he were to live there, I
think he can learn the common sense of the general society, such as how to use money,
etcetera.”

“Hmm… um, Shin.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I believe what Diseum had proposed is the best choice, but what do you think?”

Diseum? Who is… Aa! It was Uncle Dis’s real name!

“I also think it’s okay. I wanted to try to go to school, and maybe I can make friends of
the same age, too? Somehow, I feel really excited about this.”
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Certainly, I don’t feel lonely since everyone cares about me, but, of course, I also want
to experience fooling around with friends of the same age.

“Is that so? If that’s the case, I will say something to the academy. However, although I
personally think it’s okay for you to enroll immediately, but as a formality, you’ll need
to take the entrance examination, okay?”

“I don’t mind.”

“I’m sorry. The reason you have to take the exam is because the class division after
enrollment is decided based on the result of the exam. In addition, my country’s
Advanced Magic School has a perfect merit system, where a noble’s authority cannot
be used unconditionally.”

“What happens if you are found to be taking advantage of your authority as a noble?”

“You will be sentenced with a severe punishment.”

“Scary!!”

“Because it is an act that reaps the sprout of an excellent magician, it is sometimes

regarded as an act of treason towards the nation. Shin-kun also needs to watch out,
okay?”

I was told this while being smiled at.

“Really, I won’t do anything that will cause trouble for grandpa. That aside, since we’ve
started talking, for a while now, I kept hearing words such as ‘my country,’ and about
authority. Who exactly is Uncle Dis?”

I used this chance to try asking about the things I was curious about.

“Ohhh, come to think of it, I’ve never mentioned it, huh. My real name is ‘Diseum Von
Earlshide,’ the King of Earlshide Kingdom.”

… To think that he was the King.

“Then… Chris-neechan and Sieg-niichan are…”

“I am a Knight of the Imperial Knight Guard Division, and came here as a guard for His

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 49 | 279
Highness.”

“I am a Magician of the Imperial Court Magician Division. I’m also a guard for His
Highness.”

To think they were the King’s guards.

“Eh~! Putting aside Chris-neechan, Sieg-niichan, you’re lying!”

“Wait a minute, what do you mean by it’s a lie?! Also, what do you mean by ‘putting
aside Chris!?'”

“Huhu, as I thought, Shin has eyes for these things.”

“What did you say?!”

“What is it? Ah~n?”

They started to glare at each other again.

“Well, putting aside these two,” “”Oi!”” “Who is Michel-san?”

Somehow it’s a bit noisy at the back, but I’ll just leave it be.

“I’ve already retired from the Knight Order a few years back. Before I retired, I was the
Knights’ General.”

What? Is this a full line-up of this nation’s leaders?

“But what is a King doing visiting grandpa occasionally?”

“Hmph, even though you learned I am the King, you still didn’t change your attitude,
huh?”

“Because I knew uncle from way back. Maybe because of that, I think of you as a
relative uncle. So even if you tell me to change my attitude towards you now, I won’t
be able to do it.”

“Hahaha, that’s good, that’s good. Even my real nephew, niece, moreover, my own son
and daughter speak to me formally. Only you can speak this casually. I sincerely ask

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you to not change, okay?”

He’s quite a sociable King, huh.

“I understand, but what’s the reason you came here?”

“Oh, that’s right. Shin-kun, do you know about the story where your grandfather,
Master Merlin, subjugated a demonized human, also known as a devil?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard it from grandpa. At that time, a few towns or villages vanished
without a trace, and a country was destroyed.”

“Do you know the name of that destroyed country?”

“No, I haven’t heard of it… but…”

From the flow of the story, surely…

“That’s right. As you might have already guessed, it was my country.”

“Is that so…”

“At that time, I was still an Advanced Magic Academy student. A devil appeared in my
country and destroyed a village. My father… who was the King at that time, he and the
country’s top brass had an uproar like a beehive being poked. In many occasions,
subjugation forces were sent but they all met defeat, and this happened repeatedly,
until finally, a town was destroyed. It was then when the subjugation request was
made to young Magicians of the Magic Academy, and I also wrote my name down to
participate in the subjugation force.”

Was it okay for a Prince to do such a dangerous thing?

“Wasn’t there any opposition from anyone?”

“Of course, there was a big opposition. At that time, the ceremony for the Investiture
of the Crown Prince had already ended and was already the Crown Prince. But my
pride as a high achiever in the Magic Academy that had merit system couldn’t allow it.
I can’t stand it when my friends were to go to their certain death while I sit around
alone in a safe place.”

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So cool~ Uncle Dis is seriously so cool~

“Oo…”

“But… Of course, scary things are scary. As the departure day came closer, the days
where my friends and I couldn’t sleep passed by. And then, we finally departed and
actually faced the devil. Until now, I can still remember the despair.”

“Then? What happened?”

“Not only us, the Magic Academy students, but there were other skilled Soldiers and
Magicians who were also overwhelmed by the devil. And when I thought that was it,
at that time the one who appeared was…”

“Grandpa.”

“Him and Master Melinda.”

Eh? Grandma was also at that place?

“I am just an Enchanting Magician. I was only there as support.”

“But still, you were amazing.”

“Is, is that so?”

Grandma was being bashful. She maybe looked a bit cute.

“Like that, the two who appeared gallantly, even though it was a close fight, finally
defeated the devil. Master Merlin who faced his enemy with violent force, and Master
Melinda who controlled magic tools with a figure that can only be described as
bewitching; both of their figures would make one yearn for them to the point of
trembling.”

Violent? Bewitching?

“Grandpa… Grandma…”

“Don’t say anything… It was the folly of youth…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 52 | 279
“What is it? I still can be of lots of use, right?”

Grandma…

“Well, anyway, like that, they defeated the devil. Besides, since I was at that place, as
the people who averted a national crisis and also saved the Crown Prince, they were
both treated as heroes by the nation. Since then, I became friends with Master Merlin
regardless of position. This continued on even after I became King, and even now, I
occasionally came here to have him listen to my complaints about politics.”

Is that so… wait a minute…

“It was only for complaints!?”

“Of course, it is. The governing a nation is my job and my responsibility. Even though
it’s Master Merlin, I cannot push that responsibility to him, can I?”

So cool~, Uncle Dis is really so cool~

“Because of that, since you’re the grandson of the person whom I am greatly in debt
with, I have no intention of using you for politics or military affairs, so you can rest
assure and just come.”

“Nn, I understand. Well, when would it be okay for me to go?”

“Ah, since the exam starts after the new year, it would be great if you can move to the
Royal Capital before then.”

Because of that, the decision for me to move to the royal capital has been finalized.
Since I also needed to learn about the common sense of the society, grandpa would
also move together with me.

Although it’s a bit shameful that I cannot be independant from grandpa, I also feel a
bit happy. I can’t wait to see what kind of life I would have in the royal capital.

And so, I finally tried asking the thing that was bothering me.

“Speaking of which, it seems that in the past, grandpa and grandma Melinda teamed
up together in a party?”

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When I said that, the atmosphere somehow turned strange.

Eh? What?

“To say they were together in a party… weren’t those two originally a married couple?”

Chris-neechan dropped an extra-large bomb.

“EEEEeeeehhhhh!!!”

“…Hoho.”

“…The folly of youth.”

Seriously?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 54 | 279
I came to know of a shocking truth.

Grandpa and grandma were formerly a married couple.

Wait, I thought both of them had a relationship that didn’t have any restraint towards
each other. But to think they were really a couple…

In addition, it was ‘formerly,’ I wonder what happened. I wanted to ask about it, but I
couldn’t, and I felt somewhat depressed.

Well, when the time comes, they will tell me, so I’ll wait until then.

While I was thinking of this and that, we were doing relocation work. But because
there’s something called ‘extra-dimensional storage space,’ packing was super easy. In
this world, the moving industry is probably monopolized by Magicians.

The packing of things finished in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time to depart for
the royal capital. I looked forward to the life that awaits in the capital.

But since I have lived in this house for more than 10 years ever since the day grandpa
picked me up, I felt a little attached to it.

By the way, it seems like this house will be left as it is. Because a barrier preventing
intruders and maintains its condition was put up, it seems like it won’t even
deteriorate. Hurray for magic.

Incidentally, this magic tool was prepared by grandma Melinda.

The grandma who always took care of us one way or another.

Because of that, I tried to suggest this proposal.

“Grandpa, how big is the house in the royal capital?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 55 | 279
“Now that I think about it, since it was bestowed by the country, it’s quite big. However,
I don’t quite remember how many rooms it has.”

Seriously?

“Haa, this grandpa… The number of rooms is 20, and there’s a hall that can
accommodate a small evening party, in addition to a huge reception room. There are
a big fireplace and a living room that has a sofa where 10 people can sit. There’s also
the dining room for 20 people, and a bath. After that, there’s a galley instead of a
kitchen.”

Seriously, that big!?

“Grandma knows about it quite well, huh.”

“Of course, since I was together with this grandpa for a while. We got that mansion
when we were together, so I also lived there, too.”

“Is that so? Um, well, grandma?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Won’t you also live together with us, grandma?”

“Buffon!!” [Choking sound.]

“Wha! Wha-wha-what are you saying!”

Grandpa spluttered the tea he was drinking and shouted out a certain goalkeeper’s
name, while grandma also shouted and turned bright red.

“After all, since grandma already know so much about the mansion’s layout, it means
that when you guys were living together, the one who managed things at home was
grandma, wasn’t it? It would help if grandma, who knows about the details of the
mansion, to be there.”

Glances

“I’m just a bit uneasy about living together with grandpa in such a big house.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 56 | 279
Glances

“I just want grandma to help us.”

Glances

“Ah~ah, fine! This child, it can’t be helped. I understand already, I’ll live together with
you both.”

“Really!? I did it!!”

“Shin… are you really that worried about being together with me…”

Sorry grandpa. It’s not really like that, but I just wanted grandma to also live together
with us, after all.

So far, I was being thoughtful towards grandpa and didn’t say anything, but now that I
know what the situation was, it was probably okay. It wasn’t as though I wanted it to
go back to how it used to be, but it was because I thought of grandpa and grandma as
my real grandparents. I only wanted to live together with both of them.

Because of that, since grandma was also going to live together with us, all three of us
headed towards the royal capital.

Since I can only use ‘gate’ to go to places I recognized, we traveled there by using a
horse-drawn carriage. This carriage was prepared by Uncle Tom. The carriage had a
canopy installed, and we could rest under it.

Well, since it only takes a day to reach the royal capital, we probably won’t need it.

Or rather, since the King of a whole nation frequently came to our house, it shouldn’t
take that many days to get there. Or perhaps, should I say that it seems when grandpa
retired, he was asked ‘not to go somewhere far away.’

Uncle Dis…

Well then, I’ll be omitting the journey to the royal capital.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 57 | 279
After all, nothing in particular happened.

The only hard part of the trip was me trying to hold back my sleepiness due to the nice
sunlight and the rocking of the carriage.

Finally, the royal capital came into view.

After lining up at the end of a long line that started from the gate, it was finally our
turn.

“Do you have your identification papers?”

The soldier, who was managing the entrance admission to the capital, asked.

Identification papers?

“Hoho, I wonder if this will do?”

“Here you go.”

When grandpa and grandma said those words, they took out their identification
papers. Ooi! What about mine?

“Hmm!!?”

The soldier, who saw grandpa and grandma’s identification papers, opened his eyes
wide and froze. Or rather, is it all right that I don’t have any identification papers?

“Um, umm! Are you perhaps ‘Magi Merlin’ and ‘Guru Melinda!?'”

Was what the soldier shouted loudly.

Or rather, to say Magi… and Guru…

When I thought of that, I looked at the two of them.

” “It was the folly of my youth.” ”

They’re in sync, they’re in sync.

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While I was bewildered by both of their aliases, the people in the surrounding began
making noises.

“You mean THE Magi-sama!?”

“Is that true?!”

“I heard Guru-sama is also here!!”

“Magi-sama! Guru-sama!”

Uwah! The surrounding started a commotion.

“I’m sorry but, any more than this, it will become a huge commotion. I wonder if you
could please hurry and finish this up?”

“Ah! I-I’m really very sorry! Ex-excuse me… this young master is?”

Young master! It’s the first time I’ve been called that! Uwaa, somehow my butt feels
itchy.

“Hoho, this child is Shin. Shin Walford. He is my grandson.”

“So he was your grandson, huh! Please, do go through!”

“Oh, thank you. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Hick! Tha-thank you very much!”

The soldier had burst into tears. It was amazing how grandpa and grandma are still
considered as heroes in this country. Even though it wasn’t about me, I still felt proud.

While we were bathing in attention from the surroundings, we headed towards the
house in the capital. As expected of the royal capital, the amount of people is amazing.
Even if I was a former Japanese who knew of the massive crowd in Tokyo, it was the
first time I’ve actually seen this large amount of people since I came into this world.

While I was glancing around restlessly at my first sight of seeing a lot of people after
roughly 14 years, we went forward through the townscape.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 59 | 279
Nevertheless, what a pretty townscape. The roads were paved in stone, and the
buildings were all made from stones, too. When I look closely, I noticed that concrete
was also used in construction. In my previous world, too, since it was said that
concrete was used in Ancient Rome, I didn’t feel anything was out of the ordinary in
particular. There also weren’t any trash lying around; it’s similar to that, huh. A
European-styled townscape, so to speak. The modern one.

After 30 minutes of moving forward with the carriage…

So far away! With just this, I can see how big the royal capital was.

The royal castle can still be seen at a distance.

As if to enclose the royal castle in the center, there was an area of huge mansions lining
up where the nobles or wealthy merchants reside. And furthermore, as if to enclose
those as well, there was an area where the commoners lived.

As for the house we were heading to, let’s just say the area where the commoners live
is the commoners’ district. And the area where the nobles live, let’s call it the nobles’
district. It seems the house was situated between the border of those two areas.

Although there was no separation between the commoners’ district and nobles’
district, in particular, the nobles who goes to the royal castle in various different
occasion, set up residence close to the castle. As for the commoners who have no
particular business in the castle, they set up houses at the outer side of the area, and
because of that, it seems like it became this kind of townscape.

Then, we finally arrived at the mansion. As I looked up at the largeness of the mansion,
I opened my mouth wide and became befuddled. This is that, right? The type of
mansion you can’t live in unless you did bad things even in the previous world.

While I was thinking of such things, in front of the mansion’s gate…

“We welcome your return, Merlin-sama, Melinda-sama. And also, it’s a pleasure to
meet you, Shin-sama.”

A soldier, who had a splendid armor covering his body, appeared from the side of the

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 60 | 279
gate.

“Rather, to call me ‘Shin-sama’…”

“You are the grandson of the heroes we respect. It’s only natural for us to call you ‘Shin-
sama.'”

Seriously? Somehow it seems like they’re going to insist on this matter.

“Hoho, this child is not accustomed to this kind of treatment. Could you please not be
so formal towards him?”

“Y-yes, it will be as you wish.”

Yeah, that’s why, I say, stop being so stiff.

Then, the gatekeeper? opened the gate for us, and the carriage entered the premise of
the mansion.

When I looked at the house again, it really is huge. It has 2 floors and they were
symmetrically built; it probably has five rooms on the right, and five rooms on the left.
With the two floors, there was a total of 20 rooms. Then, when yet another huge gate
opened up…

” ” ” ” ” “Welcome back, Master.” ” ” ” ” ”

Butlers and maids, who lined up in neat rows, came and greeted us.

“Eh? What? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Hoho, it seems like Diseum has dispatched these people for us.”

“Haa~ I hated this place because of these kinds of things.”

Seriously?

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When we arrived at the house in the royal capital, there were gatekeepers, maids, and
butlers.

Grandpa said Uncle Dis dispatched these people but were the servants in this world
temporary workers? Or rather, since I’ve planned for only grandpa, grandma, and I,
the three of us, to live together, I was surprised.

“You didn’t expect for only the three of us to live in this huge mansion, did you? About
half of the rooms in this mansion are servants’ rooms, you know?”

Is that so? Or rather, if you already knew about this, you should have told me sooner.

“Hohho, since I thought this matter was too obvious, I forgot to tell you.”

Is that so? This is also common sense, huh.

“Instead of this or that being common sense, if you think about it for a bit, you will
understand.”

I was amazed by grandma. Well, it was only natural, though. In addition, in my

previous world, only special houses were fit to employ servants and such, so rather
than having no familiarity with it, it was hard for me to even imagine them.

While we were doing this and that, a slightly elderly woman walked forward from
where the maids were.

“Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Merlin-sama, Melinda-sama, and Shin-sama. I am

tasked as the head maid in this Walford residence, and I am called Marika. Although I
may not be up to your standard, I will work to the best of my ability. I look forward to
working with you.”

” ” ” ” ” “We look forward to working with you.” ” ” ” ” ”

All the maids lowered their heads simultaneously. The maids’ uniform was a black

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 62 | 279
maid dress that reaches one’s ankles, together with a white apron. The skirt was not
short at all, and there were also no frills attached to it. Certainly, it has a feeling of
being a work clothing.

Of course, it is, huh. In this place, a maid is not a fashion style, but a legitimate
occupation. There was no need to dress up.

While I was watching the maids while thinking of such things, this time, a middle-aged
butler came forward.

“It is an honor to see you for the first time. I am tasked as the head butler of this
mansion. I am called Steve. Since I will be tasked upon the management of this
mansion’s affairs completely, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

” “We look forward to working with you.” ”

Although their numbers were not as much as the maids, there were also butlers here.
Or rather, I wonder, what does a butler do?

“I am tasked as the head chef. I am called Correll. I will try my best to work to
everyone’s satisfaction. I also look forward to working with you.”

We even have chefs here? What’s up with this VIP treatment? What about me? What
the heck would be okay for me to do?

“It is fine for Shin-sama to do nothing. For cleaning, washing, and cooking, please leave
everything to us.”

“E… Even if you say that… up until now, I’ve done everything myself, or rather, I’ll feel
sorry to leave everything to you.”

“Even if you say that, we have received direct orders from His Highness. Much more,
since you are from the family of heroes, we cannot treat you inadequately.”

From the maids, butlers, to even the cooks; they all nodded in an exaggerated manner.

Uncle Dis! What have you done!? Moreover, everyone was looking at grandpa and
grandma with yearning. The glint in everyone’s eyes when they’re looking at grandpa
and grandma were so passionate.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 63 | 279
Even though it was a story of when they were young, or even before they were born…

“Everyone, even though you say my grandpa is a hero, putting aside Steve-san and
Marika-san, as for everyone else, isn’t it a story from the time you weren’t even born
yet? Why is it that even now, they’re still being treated as heroes?”

“It is as a matter of course. The activities of the two of them have become stories, and
for young boys and girl, everyone grew up reading these tales. Young boys yearn for
Merlin-sama and dream of meeting a woman like Melinda-sama, and as for young
girls, they yearn for Melinda-sama and dream of meeting a man like Merlin-sama.”

Uwah! Somehow it turned into an amazing thing.

When I secretly looked at the state of both of them… Ah, they were writhing in shame.

“In addition, there was also a play based on their tales. The first performance was
about a few decades ago, and even until now, it is the number one most popular play.
And for actors and actresses, it has become their objective to play the role of Merlin-
sama and Melinda-sama.”

Because it was just a tale, it was probably beautified and dramatized.

“grandpa, grandma, did you guys know about it?”

“… When the book was published, I received one and read it… I still remember that
while I was reading it, I thought to myself ‘Whose story is this?'”

“I once received an invitation to the play. I still remember falling into self-loathing
when I realized how I was being looked at by the people in the surrounding.”

Grandpa and grandma had faces that looked like they had given up on something.
Their eyes had no life in them.

Furthermore, when asked closely, it seems like everyone in this place was gathered
together by public recruitment. A selection exam was held because there were too
many applicants who came flooding in.

It seems extremely fierce rivalries had unfolded, and for everyone here who had won
and were selected, their faces were overflowing with honor.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 64 | 279
What’s up with the servants’ deciding battle!

After the tiring self-introduction for the three of us had ended, our life in the royal
capital started.

Life in the capital was a complete change from my life until now. In the morning,
although I woke up early from due to my habits, but since there was no need to hunt
or make breakfast, there was nothing for me to do even when I wake up early. Since it
can’t be helped, I did my morning training.

After eating breakfast made by Correll-san and the rest, I studied for the exam.
Although I said that, since I already knew all of the contents, I only checked and
reviewed parts covering the exam.

After eating lunch, I finally had nothing to do. I roamed around the royal capital, I went
to the plain and practiced magic. At any rate, it was hard to kill time.

Out of all those things, strolling through the capital was the number one time-killing
activity. While I was walking around town, it was the first time since I was born in this
world that I held money.

The currency in this world only has coins, there are no paper bills. It is because there
is no technology to make bills that cannot be counterfeited.

The type of coins were: Stone coin, Iron coin, Copper coin, Silver coin, Gold coin,
Platinum coin.

To make it easier to understand, compare it to Yen:

Stone coin = 1 yen (Less than a 1 USD penny)

Iron coin = 100 yen (~$0.83 USD)

Copper coin = 1,000 yen (~$8.32 USD)

Silver coin = 10,000 yen (~$83.24 USD)

Gold coin = 100,000 yen (~$832.36 USD)

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Platinum coin = 1,000,000 yen (~$8,323.63 USD)

When converted.

Even though it was called a stone coin, they weren’t at all like the stones you can find
on the roadside. It was made from a marble-like stone, and honestly, its value wasn’t
even 1 yen. That part is very much like Japan’s 1 yen.

Well, the yen conversion was also just an approximation, and will not necessarily
always be this way.

Since I cannot earn money on my own yet, the coins were pocket money from grandpa.
I received a few pieces of silver and copper coins and went out for a walk in the royal
capital.

Still, as expected of the royal capital, it was huge, there were a lot of people, and there
were also tons of shops. Since there were lots of opened stalls in the area, I walked
around town while buying and eating grilled skewers. I also tried going to the magic
item shop Sieg-niichan mentioned.

Honestly, when compared to the magic items grandma made, the items there looked
shabby, and above all, it was expensive as well. That’s why I immediately walked back
out.

And while I was staggering around town, I deviated from the main street and stumbled
into a back alley-like place. Because there were various shops in this area, as I was
thinking of going window shopping there…

“Wait! Please stop!”

“You guys! Cut it out now!”

“Oo, scary, don’t get so angry. I only was asking you guys to come play with us.”

“That’s right, that’s right. It’ll be fun if you come play with us, plus you might even feel
good, too.”

“Gyahaha! That’s right!”

Oo… what a template*…

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[T/N: Stereotypical occurrence.]

If it’s only picking up women, I thought of overlooking them, but somehow things
didn’t look good. It looked like they were going to somehow forcibly abduct the girls.

The people who were passing by the area averted their eyes and pass through without
stopping. Well, the guys who were surrounding the girls were full of muscles and were
wearing leather armor on their body. Since they were opponents an ordinary person
would also hesitate to face against, it can’t be helped, I guess.

“Aa— That young lady over there. Are you in trouble?”

Just in case, I call out to ask a question. If this was a misunderstanding, I’d be super
embarrassed.

“Yes! I’m super in trouble!”

Among the two girls who were surrounded, a light brown shoulder-length girl shouted
out. I approached the guys while thinking what kind of a reply was that.

“What is it, brat! Do you have business with us!?”

“OoOo, you’re looking good, huh, pretending to be an ally of justice?”

“Hah! We hunt demons and protect these girls, you know, we’re the one who are allies
of justice!”

Aa, these guys are the so-called demon hunters; is that so, is that so. Or rather…

“Oniisan-tachi, you might be an ally of justice if you hunt demons, but if you hunt girls,
too, won’t you become villains?”

With those words, the complexion of those guys changed.

“What did you say!? This brat!”

“It looks like he won’t understand unless he feels some pain!”

“Die! You!”

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What did they mean by ‘won’t understand?’ Did they teach me something before?
While I was thinking, one guy came and aimed a punch towards me.

So slow! His movement can be seen completely. I’ve been thoroughly trained by
Michel-san’s daily upgraded training. When I recall the former Knight General’s
gruesome training to the point where I started to have a bit of a distant look on my
face, the fist came closer to me.

While I was avoiding the right fist that came punching down, I grabbed his arm and
swept his leg. As I did that, the guy turned, rotated, and fell on his head without taking
any defensive posture.

Crap, he didn’t die, did he?

The remaining guys who saw what happened became even more enraged, and finally,
they lowered their hips and unsheathed their swords.

They’re coming to cut me down without any hesitation. It seems like they’ve cut
people down before…

I dodged the falling sword, dived under his chest, and chopped his hand barehanded.
And when he let go of his sword, I did a shoulder throw. This one also fell to the ground
on his head and no longer moved.

The last remaining guy also came and swung his sword, but since he was probably
cautious of being thrown, I couldn’t jump in front of his chest. Since it can’t be helped,
I dodged and countered it by hitting the heel of my palm to his chin. When I did that,
his eyes turned white and he fell down on his knees and collapsed.

After defeating the guys, I looked at the girls and saw that they were looking back at
me in a dumbfounded state.

“Are you guys okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Eh, Ah! Ye-yes, I’m fine! Umm, you also, are you alright? They even pulled out their
swords and attacked you…”

Said the girl who asked for help earlier. She has a slightly slanted big brown eyes, and
her face is small and quite cute.

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“Ah, I’m fine. That kind of a slow sword swing won’t be able to hit me.”

“Eh… I thought they were quite fast, though…”

The other girl muttered. This girl has long, navy blue-ish hair… navy blue hair!? What?
What’s with this hair color, it’s like picking a fight up-front down to the genes!? As I
thought that while looking at her face…

A lightning bolt struck my head…

There stood a beautiful girl who has big black eyes that droop slightly, a small well-
shaped nose, and glossy plump lips as though lip gloss had been applied on it.

“U-umm… Is there something wrong?”

While I was unable to keep my eyes away from the girl, she started to talk, looking
confused with a red face.

“Eh? Ah! No, nothing’s wrong, un. I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

I replied flusteredly. Not good, I’m charmed by her.

“Oh you [Mo~], you surprised me there. I thought there was something wrong.”

“Ah, sorry about that. I’m fine, though. Rather than that, we should get away from
here.”

I answered the brown-haired girl’s inquiry and we left the place, but since the girls
just had a considerably scary experience, it looked like they were still trembling a bit
and hadn’t calmed down. Because of that, we went to a nearby cafe and sat there to
calm them down.

“Let me say my gratitude once again. Thank you very much for helping us back there.”

“Tha, thank you very much.”

“It’s okay, no need to thank me. They weren’t that strong of an opponent anyway.”

When I said that, the brown-haired girl muttered in frustration.

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“If I used magic, I can easily beat those guys.”

Somehow she said some disturbing things.

“You can’t, Maria, it’s forbidden to use magic inside the city, right?”

“I know that, Sicily. That’s why it’s so frustrating that I couldn’t do anything to those
guys!”

Hoo, so the brown-haired girl is Maria while the blue-ish haired girl is called Sicily.

“Ah, I’m sorry. We didn’t even introduce ourselves. I’m Maria, and this is Sicily.”

“Aa… I’m… Sicily.”

“That’s very polite of you. I’m called Shin. By the way, it seems Maria can use magic, so
are you a student from the Advanced Magic Academy?”

“Umm, I’m not, not yet anyway.”

“Not yet?”

“Yes, I will become one of the students if I pass the entrance examination next month.”

“Ehh, so Maria will also be taking the entrance exam next month, huh?”

“Yes, I will be taking it together with Sicily. Wait, you said ‘also?'”

“Yes, because I’m also taking it.”

When I said that, both of them once again looked at me dumbfoundedly.

“No way… even though you have great martial art skills, you’re also a Magician?”

“I thought you were definitely a student of the Knight Training Academy.”

So a Knight Training Academy also exists, huh.

“If we take the entrance exam next month, we will all be in the same academy. Let’s
work hard together for the exam.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 70 | 279
I said and offered my hand for a handshake.

“Of course, I’m aiming for the Freshmen Representative. I won’t lose to you, okay?”

“Haha, well, I will try to barely pass it then.”

“What, there’s no competition if you’re like that.”

I shook hands with Maria who was pouting a bit. Then, I held my hand out to Sicily
but…

“Well… That…”

She did not hold out her hand

I see, of course, it’s like that. Aren’t I being too overly familiar to shake hands on our
first meeting? When I thought about it, Maria is amazing, huh.

“Hey, what’s the matter Sicily. Is there something wrong?”

“Eh!? Uun! Nothing’s wrong!”

As she said that, she braced herself and shook my hand with both of her hands.

“Um, well, let us all work hard together.”

“Ye, yes! I’ll do my best!”

She released my hand, and we sat back again. Then, I was questioned by Maria.

“Come to think of it, which middle school did you go to? Even though we’re the same
age, I have never seen you before.”

“Oh, I just recently moved here in the Royal Capital. That’s why it’s only natural you
haven’t seen me before.”

“Oh, is that so. Ah! Speaking of coming to the Royal Capital recently, did you know?
That Magi-sama and Guru-sama have come back to the capital!”

“Ah, aa, I heard about it… probably…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 71 | 279
“What’s with you, not interested in them? It’s Merlin-sama who dauntlessly and
courageously took down the demon, and Melinda-sama who sternly hunted down the
demon while handling magic tools with an unimaginable beautiful figure. They are the
rare kind of Magicians who saved the country, and were hailed as heroes! They are
existences the people this country, no, this world would look up to as the highest
aspiration. They’re a living legend, you know!?”

Crap, I’m going to die in agony…

“A… are… you okay?”

While I was about to faint from agony all by myself, Sicily asked me with anxiety in her
voice. Crap, I’m looking like a really suspicious and dangerous guy right now.

“What? Such a strange reaction.”

“Aa, no, Maria, you really like gran… Magi-sama and Guru-sama, huh.”

“Of course, I do! There’s nobody who would hate those two heroes, only people who
would think of doing some bad things would.”

“Tha, that’s right.”

“And, besides that, it seems like the grandson of those two will also be taking the Magic
Academy’s entrance exam this time!”

Seriously?! Rumors being spread around have reached up to this point?

“Aah~, I wonder what kind of person he is? I’d like to thank my good luck for being the
same age as that person.”

Somehow they both have calmed down quite a bit, and I can smell the incoming
danger if I stay together with them any longer, so I decided to part with them here.
Since it seems like both of them will stay here a bit longer, I took the receipt and stood
up.

“Wait a minute! We’ll pay for our share!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I would look bad if I let girls pay for the bill. Please let me look
cool.”
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 72 | 279
After I said so, I paid the bill and left the store.

Somehow it was really interesting today. To think I would encounter such a template
development, and I was able to have a drink with such a cute girl.

…That Sicily was really cute…

Ah! Dammit! I should have asked for her contact address!

Uwaa, I’ve done it, what a fatal mistake! Since I already tried to look cool when we
separated, it’s impossible to go back now!

Haa… come to think of it, since they said they will both take the Magic Academy’s
entrance exam, if they pass, we can meet at the academy.

All right! I will definitely pass it!

I pray that Sicily will pass it, too.

No need to pray for Maria since it seems she’s confident of passing it, I guess.

At the cafe, after Shin had left, Maria and Sicily who were left behind were talking to
each other.

“Haa… how to say this, he was a very cool-looking guy, huh.”

“Nn…”

“He has a handsome face, he’s also strong, and can use magic to the point where he
can enter the Magic Academy. On top of that, he’s not pushy.”

“Nn…”

“… Didn’t he look cool as he left?”

“Nn…”
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“… Hey, is it okay if I kiss you?”

“Nn…”

“Haa… hey, would it be okay if I take him for myself?”

“N…..Eh! Ah! YOU CAN’T!!”

Sicily finally regained herself with those words. Maria started to chuckle after seeing
her response.

“Wh, why you! Maria!”

“Ahahaha, no, sorry, sorry. It’s because it’s the first time I’ve seen Sicily like that.”

“Ugh…”

“Well? What? Don’t tell me because he saved you, you fell in love at first sight like a
cliche, or you feel like the usual simple heroine in a fairy tale and such, do you?”

“It’s! It’s not… like that… I think… but…”

“Eh? Wai, wait, really?”

“I don’t know… but, um… when I look at his face, I get really nervous or rather… my
heart beats really fast. How should I put it… my body gets really hot, I mean…”

“Wait, wait, are you serious…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 74 | 279
In a place unbeknownst to Shin, another story was also advancing.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 76 | 279
After I separated with Sicily and Maria, I went back home.

“Welcome back, Shin-sama.”

The gatekeeper, Alex-san, greeted me. Even though there were other people who were
working the shift as Gatekeepers, since Alex-san was the winner for the Gatekeeper
Division of the servants’ deciding battle, he became the Head Guard of the mansion.

Again, what’s up with the servants’ deciding battle!

“I’m back, Alex-san.”

“Shin-sama, can you refrain from going outside on foot? If something were to ever
happen to Shin-sama, I would…”

“I say, it’s okay, although I did encounter some thugs earlier when I was in the city,
there was no problem at all.”

“Thugs! Did you really do something that dangerous!?”

“That’s why, I said nothing happened. As long as the opponent is not stronger than
Michel-san, there’ll be no problem.”

“Michel-sama… the former Knights’ General…”

“That’s right, that’s right. That’s why you don’t need to be that worried. Anyway,
thanks for your hard work.”

“Haa~…”

Hmph, really, all the servants here are too overprotective. Even though up until now,
I’ve already faced wild animals in the forest as my opponents. However, I feel happy
knowing that they worry about me.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 77 | 279
Upon entering the mansion, this time, it was the butler, Steve-san, who greeted me.

“Welcome home, Shin-sama.”

“I’m home, Steve-san.”

“Earlier, this arrived from the Advanced Magic Academy.”

“What? This is?”

“This is the Advanced Magic Academy entrance exam admission ticket.”

Oh, now that I think about it, since the time Uncle Dis said “I’ll say something to them,”
I wondered what happened because there was no news at all. Uncle, it looks like you
did your job properly.

“I see. Somehow I feel like it’s finally going to happen.”

“Shin-sama, you don’t need to get so worked up. If it’s you, I’m sure you’ll be okay. You
can even aim for the Freshman Representative, probably.”

Un, based on Maria’s story earlier today, as of right now, I feel like I’m already standing
out, and if I get any more conspicuous… However, in a case where his grandson’s score
turned out to be barely passing, I wonder if it would disgrace grandpa and Uncle Dis…

Alright! I’ve decided! I’ll go full-force during the exam.

“I understand. Thank you, Steve-san.”

“It’s nothing, please do your best. All the servants will be cheering for you.”

And so, when the new year began, a New Year’s party was held privately.

It really was a private party.

Since grandpa and the others came to the royal capital, many people came wanting to
visit to try and get a connection with grandpa and grandma, but grandpa originally
came to the capital for my social education. Because of that, all the people who came
to visit were asked to go back home.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 78 | 279
In the end, the party was held with only those who came to my birthday party the
other day.

Since the King of the country also came, all the servants were super anxious. Even the
Guard Division were on full alert. I think I will go and thank them for their hard work
afterwards.

In any case, is it okay not to be at the Royal Party, Uncle Dis?

A few days after the new year, the day of the entrance exam for Earlshide Advanced
Magic Academy had arrived.

Since I intended to go to the academy on foot today, I didn’t use the horse-drawn
carriage. I already knew the location of the academy since I walked around the capital
quite a lot in these last few days. It was located in the boundaries of the Nobles’ District
and the Commoners’ District; it was a place where both the nobles and commoners
can easily attend. In addition, our house was also located between the Nobles’ District
and the Commoners’ District, so it’ll probably only take 15 minutes to reach the
academy on foot?

The things I brought with me today were my admission ticket, some writing utensils,
and… fufufu my newly acquired Citizenship Card at last! The citizenship card was
something I didn’t have when I first entered the royal capital so I finally got it in my
hands!

Actually, this citizenship card is quite amazingly high-tech… no, a high-magical item.
It can recognize an individual’s mana pattern, and since it won’t be activated by
anyone other than its owner, there are no items more suitable for a person’s identity
confirmation.

And also, there’s the Royal Bank in the Earlshide Kingdom, and this citizenship card
can be used as a debit card. The bank account is directly registered inside the card.
Since it cannot be accessed by anyone other than the owner, and only the bank can
modify the details of the account, one can make a deposit or a withdrawal in any
nearby banks. It’s almost impossible to tamper because of the strong security.
Tampering the amount of money available in one’s account is punishable by death. It
seems this is one area where one absolutely shouldn’t touch due to the confidence in

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 79 | 279
their security.

By the way, the card doesn’t have a credit card function.

Furthermore, one can also store a specific demon’s magic pattern for a period of one
month. For Demon Hunters, before they go out on a subjugation mission, they go to
the Hunter Association and record the current subjugation mission information on
their citizenship card. Then, when they come back from the subjugation, they can
calculate the difference in mana before they left, and collect their reward.

Really, this citizenship card is amazing.

After walking in a merry mood while holding that high-te… high-magical item, I
arrived at the academy.

The academy where I arrived at, describing its size, I wonder if it’s a bit bigger than a
private high school, probably? Since it has only 300 students in a 3 academic year
system with 100 students in each academic year; it’s probably about that size.

Even after considering the Royal Capital’s population, they only have this many
students. There’s only one Advanced Magic Academy here, so it meant that it’s quite
hard to get admitted here, huh.

Well, even though I said that this school was not that big, since it is still a school
building, and despite how big it is, a person visiting for the first time would not know
where to go. So, I searched for the venue of the examination on the information board.

“Hey you, move aside.”

Still, there are a lot of students. I wonder if there are enough classrooms to fit
everyone?

“Hey! You! Did you not hear what I said!?”

Umm, the venue is… ah, found it, found it.

“This insolent fool!”

Someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. And so, I grabbed the arm that was
grabbing my shoulder and twisted it on the back of the opponent. What’s with this
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 80 | 279
guy, being so annoying since earlier?

“Guua! You bastard! What do you think you’re doing? Let go!”

“Since just now, what’s up with you? Why did you suddenly grab another person’s
shoulder?”

While releasing his arm, I asked a question, and the cheeky little brat with blond hair
and blue eyes started glaring at me.

“You bastard! I am Cart von Ritzburg!”

“? Okay. I’m Shin.”

It suddenly turned into a self-introduction, huh.

Suddenly, I heard chuckling noises around us. Why is that?

“Yo-you bastard, I am the eldest son of the Count Ritzburg!”

“?? Oo~ Is that so.”

“You imbecile! Do you think you can go free after going against me like that!?”

I just realized it after he said that. This aristocratic young master was threatening me
by using his authority as a noble, huh. I thought ‘no way’ since this is inside the Magic
Academy. Nevertheless…

“You know, umm, Cart-kun? Wouldn’t it be better if you just stop right there? Isn’t it
strictly prohibited to brandish the power of nobility here? I heard there’s a severe
punishment for it, you know?”

“They’re only Magic Academy Instructors, so what right do they have in order to judge
me!”

Whoa, such a radical statement. Didn’t Uncle Dis say these words were tantamount to
treason?

Isn’t the situation getting a little out of hand? While I was thinking about that, a voice
called out from the side.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 81 | 279
“That’s enough.”

“Mmm! Yo-you are…”

Who is he?

“Brandishing your authority inside the Advanced Magic Academy, and bringing harm
to another Magician; this is an act which can reap the bud of an excellent Magician,
and anyone who breaks this rule will be subjected to severe punishment. Rather than
it being a rule of the Advanced Magic Academy, it’s supposed to be a Royal Decree.”

“Uhh, wel… well, this is.”

Oh? Cart-kun suddenly became quiet. I wonder if this noble has higher authority than
him?

“Or was that statement you made earlier a defiance against the Royal Family?”

“N—! There’s no way it’d be something like that!”

“If that’s the case, don’t make any more commotion. This place is the venue for the
entrance exam. Don’t do anything to upset anyone.”

“Yes… I will certainly heed your words.”

Then, he walked away while giving a gaze full of grudge towards me.

Why is that?

“That was quite troublesome. Are you all right?

“Huh? Ah, I’m absolutely fine. I didn’t think there would be someone like him who
would do that kind of action inside the Magic Academy, so I didn’t realize it at first.”

“Fukuku, the way you returned with a self-introduction was a masterpiece.”

The young boy who looked like a high ranking aristocrat laughed happily. His height
was about the same as mine, probably? Ah, right now I have grown to 175 centimeters.
He’s an incredibly handsome boy with ocher-like blonde hair, blue eyes, and should I
say porcelain? transparent-like skin.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 83 | 279
“Even so, although the Advanced Magic Academy prohibits aristocrats from abusing
their power. But when it comes down to it, there are actually still a lot of people who
would contradict that rule.”

“Ah, I don’t have any relation of authority from my position, and I have doubts whether
that can be called as a threat. It doesn’t have any persuasive force to it.”

“Hmm~, it seems like you’re really quite deviated from society just like I’ve heard.”

“Just like you’ve heard?”

From whom?

“Ah, sorry for my late introduction. My name is Augusto. Augusto von Earlshide. People
close to me calls me Gus. Shin, I’ve heard a lot of things about you from Father.”

“Eh!? That means you’re Uncle Dis’s son?”

Oh? The surroundings became silent.

“Kukuku, Uncle Dis’s son… This is the first time someone described me that way. All
the people I know will do nothing but try and flatter me the moment they find out I’m
the Prince.”

“I mean, for a long time now, I’ve always treated Uncle Dis as a relative. And since
you’re Uncle Dis’s son, doesn’t that make you my cousin? That’s how I feel.”

“Kukuku, Ahahahahaha!”

Somehow he burst into a hysterical laughter.

“I see, I see, cousin, huh. I remember having this strange feeling whenever I heard
various things about you from Father. Even if you claim me to be your cousin, there’s
no uncomfortable feeling. No, rather, I can understand this feeling. I see, cousin, huh.”

“I’m pleased to know that you somehow accept it with pleasure.”

“Hehe, since we finally met like this, I would like to talk a bit more… but wouldn’t it be
bad if we don’t go to the examination venue soon?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 84 | 279
“Eh, ah! You’re right. It’s time to go now.”

“Well then, let us work hard together. I guess the next time we meet is during the
entrance ceremony, huh?”

“Haha, I’ll also do my best then. Or rather, it’s okay for you to just come to my house to
play, you know?”

“As a Prince who’s awaiting the approaching ceremony of the official investiture to
become the Crown Prince, I cannot easily go out for a walk.”

“Is that so? But Uncle Dis comes over to play quite often.”

“Father…”

After I parted ways with Gus who seemed to be completely exhausted, I headed to the
examination venue.

Curious spectators gathered around Shin, Cart, and Augusto, as if to enclose them, and
among them, the figures of Maria and Sicily can be seen.

“Hey, although we were finally able to find Shin, but why is he getting involved with
that guy, out of all the people here?!”

It seems to be around the time Shin got involved with Cart.

“Ah~ah… I wonder if Shin-kun will be alright…”

“Since he’s one of those idiotic people who are stuck up about being elite… I hope
things don’t end up being troublesome.”

It looks like these two girls knew of Cart.

“Eh? Wait a minute!! That person is!?”

“No way, His Royal Highness, Prince Augusto!?”

And then, the situation was resolved by Augusto, and all the curious onlookers
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 85 | 279
scattered and went to the examination venue.

Maria and Sicily kept talking while following the crowd.

“I wonder, who is Shin-kun, really?”

“Really, this was the first time I saw His Highness Prince Augusto having so much fun
talking to someone.”

“Nn.”

“Leaving that aside, the problem now is him. To think he would come to this academy.”

“You’re right…”

“Listen now, Sicily. If he does anything to you, you tell me, okay? No, even if he doesn’t
do anything, just tell me, okay?”

“To say something, even if he doesn’t do anything, it’s still a bit…”

“Hmm~, ah! That’s right! You know, it’d be okay if we ask Shin to go together with us!”

“E-e-e-ehhh!? Together with Shin-kun!?”

“That’s right! If we tell him a nasty guy has been following you, he’ll help us! Since he’s
strong and also not afraid of nobles or even the royal family!”

“But… it will definitely trouble him.”

“It’ll be alright, I tell you. Shin is probably the type of guy who won’t abandons a girl
in trouble. I was convinced he’s that kind of guy after the last incident. Or rather, he’ll
even come forward and protect on his own, you know?”

“But somehow… it’s like taking advantage of Shin-kun’s kindness…”

“You’re right, it is taking advantage of him. Listen here Sicily, I certainly do think Shin
is a good guy. But you’re more important to me.”

“Maria…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 86 | 279
“Besides, if we stay together, you might become more than just friends, you kno~w”

“Eh, ah! Really, you!!”

Unbeknownst to Shin, the plan of the two girls had progressed.

Since then, I took the written test at the examination hall. As I thought, it was full of
people.

Done.

What else more can be said about the written exam other than that?

And thus, the practical exam began.

The exam was carried out in an indoor practice field, and one will pass if they can
destroy the installed target. Even if one couldn’t destroy it, it seems the examiners will
look at their proficiency in magic. The exam format is where 5 people enter the indoor
practice field at a time according to their exam number and display their magic one
person at a time.

I was the last out of the five people.

The first guy gave his admission ticket and citizenship card to the Examiner.

The examiner was a female teacher wearing a black robe and glasses with shoulder-
length black hair. Somehow, she gives off an impression of a secretary if she wore a
black suit.

“Alright then, please cast the magic you are most proud of at maximum power.”

“Yes! Please take care of me!!”

Oo~, this is the first time I’ll see the magic of someone of the same age as me. I wonder
what kind of magic he’ll use?

“Flame that burns everything! Gather in this hand and shoot the enemy!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 87 | 279
…

“Fire Ball!”

Boom!

“Fuu.”

…Embarrassing! How embarrassing! What the hell was that? Was a chant something
like that? And also, using ‘Fire Ball’ is too much of a cliche! It was showy up until he
shoots, but in comparison, the result was dull! Yet, why did he have such a satisfied
expression on his face?

This is bad. I was going to go full-force to live up to everyone’s expectations, but I will
only be looked at strangely if I use my full power. Let’s not go at full-power, after all.

The test progressed rapidly.

“Raging flow of water! Gather, dance, and wash away!”

“Water Shoot!”

“Leap o Wind! Dance o Wind! Clear everything away calmly, o gust of wind, and rise
up!

“Wind Storm!”

“Lend your strength o Mother Earth! Be the bullet of stone and shoot my enemy!”

“Earth Blast!”

…Ugh… I’m tired… What is this chuunibyou*-like presentation!?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 88 | 279
[T/N: A Japanese slang term which roughly translates to “Middle School 2nd Year
Syndrome”. People this syndrome either act like a know-it-all adult and look down on
real ones or believe they have special powers, unlike others.]

After hearing those words, the long past dark history of mine resurrected in me…

After receiving mental damage without the other people knowing, since the previous
4 people had all finished, next came my turn. Now then, what kind of magic shall I use?

“Well then, next person…”

When the examiner saw my admission ticket and citizenship card, her eyes widened
for an instant.

“You are… Hmmm. Use your greatest magic at maximum power… is what I want to say
but in your case, please be careful.”

Be careful? Why?

“You will pass as long as you use enough magic power to destroy the target. I sincerely
hope you do not use any magic capable of destroying this practice field.”

…Uncle Dis… just what kind of story did you tell these people…

I arrived at the assigned position while looking a little dejected because of the reverse
special treatment.

Let’s see, the target looks like a mannequin without both arms and legs. Since it can
withstand the previous magic until now, it seems to have reasonable strength. By the
way, since they change the target to a new one each time in order to prevent
unfairness, even though I said it has reasonable strength, they won’t go that far as to
use expensive materials. If that’s the case… I’ll use that, huh.

And so, I produced one pale blue flame like before, but much smaller in size. The
surrounding started to get noisy after seeing that phenomenon done without chants.
Then, I shaped it long and narrow, and launched it as a bullet.

As the pale blue flame launched at super speed, it drew a blue-white line in the air and
swallowed the target up.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 89 | 279
BAAAaaaaNG!!!

With a loud sound, the target exploded. But the momentum of the flame bullet that
shattered the target did not wane out, and landed on the wall at the back. Ah, crap.

KABBOOooOOOM!!!!

The bullet slammed on the magical barrier that was bestowed on the wall, and the
entire practice field shook violently. When everything had subsided, the reaction of
everyone around can only be described as dumbfounded. Will the teacher get angry
because this?

“…There’s one thing I’d like to ask… the magic just now, did you use your full power?”

“No? Sensei said not to destroy the practice field, so I suppressed it considerably
before firing, though.”

“E… even with that, it was considerably suppressed?”

“Yeah.”

“…I see. I understand. The test is now complete. Everyone, thanks for your hard work.”

Thank goodness. It ended without her getting angry.

Being relieved of that, I forgot to look for Maria and Sicily and returned to the house.

UOooO~ What am I doing, me~~~!

All the instructors had gathered at the Magic Academy, after all, the test had finished.

“Was he really amazing? The ‘Magi’s Grandson.’ ”

“He wasn’t just amazing. I thought the practice field was going to get destroyed by the
considerably suppressed magic the person himself intended to shoot lightly.”

“Th-that powerful?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 91 | 279
“Yes. In addition, he shot it instantly and without any chants.”

“I wonder, that, is there something we can teach him? Rather, I want him to teach us.”

“It’s the same for me. In the first place, His Majesty had asked for him to enroll in this
academy in order to learn about human relationship. When it’s class time, we can ask
him to become everyone’s role model, and after that we can create research society of
sorts, gather people there and teach him about human relationships, wouldn’t all that
be okay?”

“Oh! That’s a good idea. If it’s in a laboratory, it won’t be unnatural for us to go in and
out.”

“You’re right. Then, let’s move in that direction.”

“Okay. By the way, what will happen to the admission ranking order?”

“I’ve also already seen the written exam. Even though it’s still being marked, it seems
he almost got full points for it.”

“If that is the case, with this…”

“Yes. Well then, with this, the ‘Freshman Representative’ has been decided.”

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Gus came to the house, together with Uncle Dis.

Gus, who met grandpa for the first time, was deeply moved, and his eyes turned
watery. Even though it didn’t feel real to me, as I thought, it seems grandpa is really
amazing.

It seems Gus’ little sister made a fuss about wanting to come to the house, but since
they didn’t come here to play, she was left behind at the royal castle. Gus said the
despair on her face was amusing. Surprisingly, he has a bad personality, huh.

By the way, she was ten years old and seems to look up to grandma Melinda.

Speaking of not coming here to play, that being the case, the reason they came here
was…

“It’s time for us to go.”

It has been a few days since the entrance exam, and today was the announcement for
the examination results. I was invited by Gus to go together with him. Because of that,
they came to the house today. The messenger was Uncle Dis. The King…

However, only the two of us were going. There would be a panic if grandpa were to go
together, and with the King, it would be another matter altogether. So, grandpa and
Uncle Dis became the house sitters.

What did you come here for, Uncle Dis?

There was also the request from Gus, who said he wanted to walk around town, so
we’re walking to the academy. It was close anyway.

Today, Gus didn’t have an escort. He said if I was with him, he wouldn’t need an escort.
Although I’m glad to be trusted, was this really fine, Royal Family?

For Gus, who was walking freely in town without any escorts for the first time, maybe

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 93 | 279
due to the feeling of being free, had walked while dilly-dallying here and there.
Because of that, what should have been a 15-minute walk took us 30 minutes to arrive
at the academy.

When we arrived at the academy, both of our hands were holding grilled skewers.

“Oh, it looks like everyone has gathered.” The Prince murmured while having his
mouth full of meat from the skewers.

“It seems so, huh~” Said the hero’s grandson who was licking sauce off his finger.

Un, I’m going to get scolded. Certainly.

I put the finished skewers inside the extradimensional space, and we went to the
notice board where the successful candidates’ results had been posted. We pushed
through the crowd jam-packed with people and reached the front of the notice board.
Let’s see, my number is…

“Ah, it’s there.”

“Mine is there as well.”

It seems like both of us have successfully passed. After giving Gus a high-five, we joined
the line in front of the reception desk for successful examinees. Here was where we
would receive our textbooks and uniforms. Classes would also be announced here.

The line proceeded smoothly, and before long it was my turn. Gus lined up on the next
line.

“Yes, next person.”

I gave the receptionist onee-san my admission ticket and my citizenship card.

“Yes, I have confirmed… Hmm? You… So you’re Shin Walford-kun.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, so you’re the rumored ‘Magi’s Grandson.’ Well then, these are your textbooks.
This is the list, please confirm it, and please let me know immediately if there’s
anything missing. Also, this set of uniform is yours. Because we referred to your

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 94 | 279
physical data recorded in your citizenship card, the size should be perfect. However, if
the size doesn’t match for even the just the slightest, please let me know immediately.
In addition, this uniform has various defense magic applied on it. Please don’t even
think to try and repair it by yourself.”

After listening to the onee-san’s explanation, I received my textbooks and uniform.

“Is it also no good if my grandma repairs my uniform?”

“Your grandmother is… Ah~ You meant Melinda-sama. If it’s Melinda-sama, there
should be no problem.”

Then, I wonder if it’s okay for me, too? Let’s magically remodel it, then.

By the way, it seems like I was assigned to ‘S-Class.’

I received a printout listing the appointed date and time for the entrance ceremony,
and things to bring to the entrance ceremony. Just when I thought of going back home,
the onee-san called out to stop me.

“Ah, and also, since Walford-kun is the top student for the entrance exam, you have
been chosen to give a speech during the entrance ceremony as the Freshman
Representative. So please think about the speech and prepare for it, okay?”

I heard a phrase that made me doubt my ears.

“Freshman Representative… speech!?”

“Yes,” She affirmed it with a dazzling smile.

No, no, wait a minute.

“Umm, in this year’s freshman batch, you have Gus… His Highness, Prince Augusto,
right? This time, no matter how you look at it, the speech should be given by His
Highness.”

Even in my previous life, I didn’t have any experience giving representative speeches.
Let alone in this world. I feel bad for Gus, but I’ll have you take my place as the sacrifice
here.

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“Hey, hey, what are you talking about, ‘Entrance Exam Top Student’-kun. It has been
the tradition for the entrance exam’s top scorer to give the representative speech in
Earlshide Advanced Magic Academy, which is full of traditions, ever since the founding
of this academy. If I were to take away the representative speech with my selfishness,
it will bring shame to me, no, to the Royal Family that cannot be erased until the end
of time.”

Gus, who was standing in the next line, said with somewhat of a sound-ish argument.

While smirking.

Hey! He’s absolutely finding this amusing! This guy definitely has a bad personality!

“Yo-you.”

“It is as His Highness, Prince Augusto had said. In this academy, there is no such thing
as ranks; it’s a complete meritocracy. There is no exception even for the Royal Family.
Even the time when His Majesty, the King, enrolled here, I heard the Representative
Speech was not given by His Majesty.”

The escape route has been completely cut off.

“Well, since that’s how it is, good luck and please think about the speech.”

He said that with the best smile he had showed me so far.

Seriously… I was stricken with grief over the shocking truth of having to give the
Representative Speech at the entrance ceremony, and so, I once again forgot to search
for Maria and Sicily. I only noticed it after I came back home.

… I’m too forgetful, me…

Shin became depressed about having to give the Freshman Representative speech and
passed through wearily along the side of the line where people were still lining up.

Both Maria and Sicily were also in that line.

“Ah~ah, I guess I wasn’t able to become the Entrance Exam Top Student, huh.”
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 96 | 279
“He’s amazing. Even though he’s good at martial arts, to think he’s also good with
magic as well.”

Sicily was smiling while chasing Shin’s figure with her eyes.

“Sicily, is it fine not to call out to Shin?”

“Ah, nn… It’s fine. Even if I call out to him, I wouldn’t know what to say…”

“What are you saying? Even though you finally have a common topic of passing the
exam together.”

After hearing Maria’s words, Sicily opened her eyes wide in realization.

“I just realized it now…”

So she said.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 97 | 279
“Ah! Wasn’t it such a good chance just now!?”

“It was a good chance.”

“Such a thing… what the heck are you doing…”

“Indeed, what was I doing…”

In contrast to the surroundings who were smiling with joy for passing the Kingdom’s
leading prestigious school, only Sicily’s surroundings had a heavy air engulfing them.

“Really, what were you doing…”

When I reached home while looking depressed because of various things, I was asked
with words of concern ‘did you failed!?’, but I told them I had to give the Freshman
Representative speech since I had become the top student. After I said it was
depressing for me, this time they gave me blessing and said it was amazing to be the
top student.

“Hoho, Freshmen Representative, you say. You have worked hard, Shin.”

“Since I taught you various things, this much is only natural. But, you did well.”

Both of them praised me while smiling.

“It is as expected of Shin-sama.”

“It is only natural if it’s Shin-sama.”

“For me, I thought he could even become the top student at the Knight Military
Training Academy.”

Marika-san, Steve-san, even Alex-san praised me. Although what Alex-san said was a
bit different.

“Father, I am sorry for not becoming the top student.”

“Ah, nn. Since you had Shin as your opponent, it cannot be helped. Because he’s really
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 99 | 279
outside the standard. That aside, you did well in having passed the exam. Furthermore,
it seems you’re in S-Class. I can also hold my head up high.”

Somehow, it felt like I was being talked about in an outrageous manner.

“That aside, Shin-kun, you don’t need to be that depressed over the representative
speech.”

“About that Father, it looks like he’s depressed not only because he has to give a speech
as the representative, but also because of a whole different matter.”

“A different matter?”

“It seems like he had forgotten to search for his acquaintances.”

“Acquaintance… Ho~… A girl, huh.”

“I believe it is.”

Smirk x 2

This father and son are annoying!

What is he saying on his own?! No, what he said was true, though!

“And then? What kind of girl is she?”

“Ah~ah. She has long beautiful navy blue hair, a small face, and big black slightly
drooping eyes, around 155 centimeters in height, has excellent style; a truly super
beautiful girl.”

“No… I didn’t ask for that much detail…”

“Tch, he replied normally. How boring.”

Oi! Damn you Gus! Your personality is really bad!

“Hohho. We just arrived at the royal capital, and you’ve already experienced a lot of
things. Very good, very good.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 100 | 279
“Shin, you better bring that little girl to the house. I’ll make sure to take a good look at
her.”

Since I came to the royal capital to learn how to socialize with society, of course,
grandpa would be happy when I experienced a lot of things here.

However, grandma, on the other hand, was scary.

And from the next day onwards, the days where I would think about the representative
speech had begun. I didn’t even have any free time at all!

In a certain Noble’s Mansion.

In one of the mansion’s room, there was a young boy who had returned some time ago
after the Magic Academy’s exam results announcement.

“I am in A Class…? Not S-Class, but A-Class…? That’s impossible… Moreover, the guy
who humiliated me became the freshman representative…? Stop joking around… Stop
joking around… I’m sure he must have cheated or something… The academy’s
Instructors must also be his accomplices… If not, then how can I… How can I…
Unforgivable… Unforgivable… UNFORGIVABLE…”

The murmur filled with grudge and anger echoed throughout the dark room.

Now, it has finally arrived. It has arrived already. The entrance ceremony.

Although I was nervous yesterday… but I was still able to sleep well. Since it can’t be
helped even if I struggle, I accepted my fate and thought of a speech. Well, I don’t care
what happens afterward, though.

Today, we will be going to the academy riding the horse-drawn carriage. The reason
being, grandpa, and grandma will come today as my guardians. If we walked, a
commotion would be inevitable. Because of that, the horse-drawn carriage arrived
from the royal palace. It was a luxurious carriage similar to what I’ve seen in a museum
in my previous life. It was a really comfortable ride, but I felt uncomfortable.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 101 | 279
Today, even though it’s obvious, I am wearing the uniform. It has a blue blazer with
black slacks, and for freshmen, the color of their neckties’ was red. Juniors have blue
necktie, and for seniors, green necktie. The freshmen next year will wear a green
necktie. Girls wore black pleated skirts and a ribbon instead of a necktie.

Actually, there are also other Advanced Academy in the royal capital. Such as the
‘Knight Military Training Academy,’ and ‘Advanced Economics and Law Institute.’

The Knights Military Training Academy is pretty much self-explanatory. It is an

academy that trains Knights to command Soldiers to defend the Kingdom. It is a place
where men and women with excellent physical strength gather. The male and female
ratio seems to be nine to one. It is also the alma mater of Michel-san and Chris-
neechan. The design of the uniform is the same, but with various colors of red.

As for the Advanced Economic and Law Institute, it is a place to learn economics and
law. It is a place which fosters Merchants and Civil Servants. It is also known as the
brainpower of the Kingdom. Even though they don’t have any combat capability, it
seems the country cannot function if they weren’t around. The male to female ratio is
about fifty-fifty. Uncle Tom, the Merchant, graduated from there. The design of the
uniform is, of course, the same, but with the different colors of green.

The calm ‘blue.’

The hot-blooded ‘red.’

The knowledgeable ‘green.’

And there you have it; Earlshide Kingdom’s three big Advanced Academies.

Although there are other schools where nobles and the wealthy attended, they are
omitted because they’re unrelated.

And today, grandpa was wearing a luxurious mantle I have never seen before. It seems
this mantle was given to him by the Kingdom, along with the medal of the ‘First Order.’
It was embroidered with gold thread bordering on a white cloth, and only by looking
at it you can see it was an amazing mantle. The mantle was being worn on top of a
white military-like uniform.

Grandma was also wearing the same mantle. It was being worn on top of a pale light-
blue dress. Since she was originally a beautiful woman with a good sense of style, it
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 102 | 279
really looks good on her. Even though she’s at the age where she could be called a
grandma, there are still some who were captivated by her even among the servants.

And also, she was wearing a stylish blue-rimmed glasses that matches with her dress
instead of her usual silver-rimmed elongated glasses.

Since the distance was about 15 minutes by walking, with the carriage, we arrived in
about 5 minutes. The crowd, who watched us… or rather grandpa and grandma who
were getting off the carriage started a commotion. And then, since it seemed the
rumor that their grandson was going to attend the academy had spread, as expected,
the curious eyes gradually turned towards me.

As I endured the really uncomfortable gazes, a staff from the academy came and
guided us to the ceremony hall. Phew… we’re saved. Since it looked like grandma was
about to snap.

“Really, every single last one of them! I am not some kind of a show!”

She snapped.

“Even though it’s Shin’s big moment, for there to have been such a terrible commotion.
I’m sorry.”

“That’s right! What would they do if Shin’s nerves were to be disturbed by this and
fails to give the representative speech!”

Nn. They’re on the same wavelength. They should just go back to how it used to be,
really.

Or rather, grandma, you don’t have to raise that kind of a failure flag.

Like that, the two guardians went to the ceremony venue, while the freshman me
headed towards the assembly point before entering the venue.

“Yo, Shin. You’re not nervous, are you?”

“Ah, Gus. No, I’m feeling fine.”

The moment I arrived at the meeting place, Gus called out to me.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 103 | 279
Since from last time, we’ve also been meeting every now and then. We became quite
familiar with each other.

“Today, even though there won’t just be freshmen and current students, but also
Father, the King, the Kingdom’s nobilities, and leaders who would be present, it’s okay
for you to not be nervous at all, you know?”

“No, that’s why I said…”

“The Freshman top student, Shin, will certainly deliver a wonderful speech. I’m
looking forward to it.”

Th-this guy… He’s doing it on purpose. He deliberately started talking to try and make
me nervous!

“Gus! You bastard!”

“Ohya, what’s wrong Shin? For you to be this excited?”

“It’s on purpose, isn’t it!? You’re definitely doing this on purpose!”

“Hahaha, what are you talking about?”

“This bastard!”

“You there! The ceremony is about to begin! What are you yelling about!”

” “I’m sorry.” ”

“Really. Look, it’s about to begin, so stand in line.”

We got scolded by the teacher.

“Gus… because of you, we suddenly got scolded so soon after getting admitted.”

“Kukuku. Well, don’t say that. Isn’t it thanks to me that you’re no longer nervous?”

Come to think of it… My heart, which was considerably shaken by grandma’s failure
flag remark, had calmed down quite a bit.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 104 | 279
“Gus, you…”

“Well, it’s just a coincidence!”

“Gus, why you!”

“Over there! Cut it out!”

” “Yes! I’m sorry.” ”

Gus was still laughing. From the first time we met, I couldn’t have imagined it, but this
guy has a really bad personality… Actually, it would be more accurate to say he has a
good character. Each time he said teasing things was like playing word tag with him.
Since it was the first time he was able to make friends with people of the same age…
or rather, since it’s like being cousins, it seems it can’t be helped he finds it fun to mess
around with me.

For your information, both of us are normal! Although I’ve never met her, it seems Gus
already has a fiancee and I often hear him speak fondly of her. And if possible, even I
want to become friends with Sicily…

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

“U-um… Shin-kun, l-long time no see.”

It was Sicily.

“Hi, Sicily. It looks like you also passed. And Maria, too.”

“Don’t say it like I’m an afterthought!”

“Sorry, sorry. I wasn’t able to see you guys during the entrance examination and the
results announcement, so I became a bit worried about how you girls were doing.”

“Although I noticed you back then… but it wasn’t a mood where we can talk at all…”

“Eh? Ah,~ during that time?”

It was the time when I got tangled with Cart-kun, and the time when I was told I was
the Freshman Representative.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 105 | 279
There was quite a bit of a commotion.

“That aside, for you to be lining up here means…”

“That’s right. We’re also in ‘S-Class,’ okay, Top Student-san?”

“Yes, we’re in the same class.”

Because Sicily was laughing happily, I was unconsciously admiring her…

“Shin. Is this the girl you were talking about?”

Uo~oi! What do you think you’re saying!?

“Ohya~ If I remember correctly, you guys are…”

“It’s been awhile since we last met, Your Highness, Prince Augusto. I’m Count
Meshina’s second daughter, Maria.”

“It’s been awhile since we last met, Your Highness, Prince Augusto. I’m Viscount
Claude’s third daughter, Sicily.”

A Count and a Viscount!? They’re nobles!

“Eh? Leaving Sicily aside, Maria is also a noble?”

“Wait a minute! Isn’t that being too mean!?”

“Fufufufu.”

Ah, I got Sicily to laugh.

“So, why did you not say something?”

“After all, whenever I say I was a noble’s daughter, there would a lot of people who
would suddenly change their attitudes towards me.”

“That’s right. Rather than saying they become more formal… it’s more often that I feel
like they’re distancing themselves away.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 106 | 279
“Hmm, is that how it is?”

“Only you are special. You two, since authority or society’s common sense doesn’t
work on this guy, it’s okay for you guys to get close to him without any reservation.”

“Eh? Your Highness, exactly what did you mean by—”

“You guys! That’s enough! Let’s go!”

When Maria was about to ask something, the teacher’s voice cut her off.

And so, the current students, instructors, guardians, and other guests greeted us with
applause as we entered the venue.

On stage, the guest speakers; the current student representative and the Headmaster’s
speech went on, but everything they said went in one ear and out the other.

My head was filled with my own speech.

And then… my turn had come at last.

“And now, let us continue to the Freshman Representative speech. This year’s top
student in the entrance examination, Shin Walford-kun.”

“Yes!”

“Eh…?”

“Walford?”

“That’s right. Shin Walford. He’s the grandson of the hero.”

” “!!” ”

It looks like Gus was explaining something to Sicily and Maria. Huh? Did I not tell
them?

That aside, it was time for the Representative speech. I went up on stage while feeling
tense.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 107 | 279
The hall was being awfully noisy. I beg you, please be quiet for a bit.

“Let me introduce myself, I am the Freshman Representative, Shin Walford. Today, on

this good day, I am truly glad to be watched over by guardians and distinguished
guests; to be welcomed by teachers and fellow students, and to be able to enroll in
Earlshide Advanced Magic Academy.”

Phew, for the time being, I wonder if the standard phrases are OK?

“Since childhood, I have learned various things from my grandparents and their
acquaintances. However, regrettably, since we were living in the back of the forest
where grandfather had retired to, I grew up without knowing about the world. On that
occasion, a certain person had said: ‘Enter the Academy and learn about common
sense.'”

“After coming to the Royal Capital, my environment changed dramatically. I was even
able to make some friends already. There’s probably more encounters bound to
happen when I enter the Academy. I can’t help but to look forward to that. What about
studying? Is probably what some of you might want to ask me, but encounters with
people is what’s valuable and important to me. That’s why I think I’ll probably be told
to study later on. Of course, I have no intention of neglecting my studies. I would like
to be able to build a relationship with people I meet to the point where we can work
hard together.”

“That’s why everyone, please do not leave me out just because I am ignorant about the
world, okay? If you do that, I might end up crying.”

“Guardians, distinguished guests, please watch us gently, and sometimes also be strict
with us. Teachers and current students, even though we might be cheeky students or
juniors, I ask you kindly, please don’t bully us. Since us, freshmen, will work hard in
order to grow more mature and be able to spread our wings. So for the next after three
years, please give us your guidance and support. Freshman Representative, Shin
Walford.’

And then, I lowered my head and bowed.

Suddenly, there was a big round of applause.

Thank goodness, with this, the load on my shoulders has finally been lifted. When I
returned to my seat, Gus was trying to suppress his voice while laughing.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 108 | 279
“Fukukuku, ahahaha, haha hahaha!”

He could no longer suppress his voice.

“What is it? Why are you laughing?”

“Fuuwahaha, because you, didn’t you know it’s unheard of to tell a joke while giving a
representative speech? Haven’t you heard other people’s speech?”

“Eeeh!? Is that so?”

“Yes… That’s right. At least, I haven’t heard one before this…”

“Rather than saying ‘before this,’ it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

Maria was also laughing.

Seriously? Ah, the students were all laughing, but the guardians, guests, and teachers
had bitter smiles!

Did I mess up?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 109 | 279
I shouldn’t have told a joke during the speech.

How should I know that! Since I could only rely on the memories of my previous world,
and in those memories, it was the basic thing to add humor to speeches in order to
calm the venue down.

I am at my wits’ end about this world’s common sense, which I’ve learned for the first
time, and about the grand public spectacle I made.

“Well~ In my case, I found it quite interesting? A normal speech at this kind of place
is boring and will put me to sleep.”

Suddenly, I heard a voice. Since she was sitting in a nearby seat, she’s also part of S-
Class, I guess.

“I’m Alice. Alice Corner. Nice to meet you, Shin Walford-kun.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

“I thought the speech you gave a little while ago was interesting. The speeches during
Beginner and Intermediate school were very painful at that time, but that couldn’t be
helped. I think many students would think so as well, don’t you think? Earlier, the
majority of the student body were laughing, I wonder, wouldn’t there be a lot of people
who’ll try to imitate you?”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. By the way. Walford-kun.”

“Just call me Shin.”

“Then, Shin-kun. Shin-kun… is the grandson of Merlin-sama and Melinda-sama?”

To be accurate, it’s actually quite different, though. I wonder if everyone didn’t know

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 110 | 279
grandpa and grandma are no longer married?

“Well, yes I am.”

“I wonder, did they come today?”

“They are probably sitting together with the other guardians…”

Was that it? Was this the kind of situation where she wants to ask me for an
introduction?

“Is that so? Well, since we’re going to be classmates in the future, it would be better
for me to greet them, right~”

This is the first time I’ve heard of the need to greet a classmate’s guardians.

“Ah! Not fair! I [Watashi] also want to go!”

“I [Watashi] also want to go.”

“I [Boku], too, want to go.”

“I [Watashi] also want to go~”

“I [Jibun] also want to greet them.”

“I [Sessha] want to go, too degozaru.”

Who was that!? There was a Samurai!?

“Ho~? So there was a rule in the academy that says we have to greet our classmates’
parents?”

“Prin-Prince Augusto…”

“In that case, naturally, I’ll have to ask all of you to meet with Father.”

“N-no need! That would be too much!”

“Then, stop saying stupid stuff and be quiet. Look, isn’t the instructor looking this

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 111 | 279
way?”

Eh! Uwa~ He’s really glaring. It seems like today, I did nothing but get scolded.

“After this, we will be going to the classroom, so go plan your minglings there.”

“Ye-yes. I’m very sorry…”

“My bad, Gus, you saved me.”

“What, it was a matter of course.”

As I thought, this guy really is Uncle Dis’ son. He’s also super cool when it comes to
things like these.

“You owe me one.”

He declared while smirking.

I take back my previous statement! As I thought, he has a bad personality!

After that, the entrance ceremony proceeded without a hitch, and finally, it was Uncle
Dis’ speech. A part of his speech was to encourage the freshmen, but at the end of it,
he looked at me and smirked. Somehow I’m getting a bad feeling about this, you know?

“This year, since a non-standard — the grandson of the hero — has also been admitted,
We think the instructors’ camp will have a hard time, but We hope the instructors will
work hard. And as for his fellow classmates, it would be good if you can learn various
things from him. Everyone’s stereotypes will probably be blown away by him. And
also, We pray everyone will grow significantly.”

Oi! What are you throwing in at the end of your speech? I thought one weren’t
supposed to tell a joke during a speech!?

“Hmm, as expected of Father. He’s immediately incorporating it.”

You too, what are you doing being impressed! If the head of the Kingdom does
something like that, everyone will want to imitate it! It’ll alter the common sense of
this world!

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 112 | 279
I was played with by the King in the end, and the very tiring entrance ceremony was
over.

After this, everyone will go to their own respective classrooms, do a simple

homeroom, such as self-introduction, and then dismiss for the day.

When we were about to go to the classroom under the instructor’s guidance, at that
time, I somehow felt a gaze, making me uneasy. What is it? I thought, and when I
looked around my surroundings… That guy… if I wasn’t mistaken, it was Cart-kun. The
previously-mentioned ‘Violent Noble’-kun was glaring at me. With a look full of grudge
and resentment.

Did I, perhaps do something? Ah! Maybe because I gave such a playful speech, that he’s
thinking of the tradition or about the ceremony’s dignity? Since it seems he’s
somewhat obstinate about being a noble. But because Uncle Dis also did the same
thing, there shouldn’t be a problem, right? …Right?

Although his gaze was bothering me a little, it was already time to go to the classroom.
Since he seems to be in a different class, he couldn’t even confront me, and I was also
heading to my classroom.

This academy has 4 different classes: S, A, B, and C. Only S-Class has a small number
of students consisting of 10 people, and as for the other classes, they have 30 students
each, so 10 + (30 x 3) = 100 students in each academic year.

The students are divided into these classes depending on the results of their entrance
examination, and S-Class consists of the top ten students, the Special Advanced Class
so to speak. The lowest is the C-Class, but everyone here was able to pass the super
difficult entrance exam.

Since there are annual class rearrangement whenever students advance in academic
years, even if a student was in C-Class at the time of their enrolment, it would be
possible for them to be in S-Class by the time of their graduation. The opposite also
applies. I need to work hard so I won’t drag grandpa and grandma’s reputation in the
mud.

Only for today, please forget the many times I got scolded already. I beg of you.

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The classroom somehow had the Oval Office?-like feeling. The desk also had an official
desk-like feeling to it, with a high-class look, and it was large, too. The chair also was
covered with leather, and I wasn’t the only one who thought: ‘Is this place the
president’s room or something?’.

“Uwa~ This desk is amazing. It’s just like the desk Father has in his office.”

“It’s true. This is amazing.”

“I’ve never seen such a fine desk like this. The chair is also amazing. Uwaa, it feels like
I’m getting tired from the nervousness of just being here.”

“What, everyone is so pathetic.”

Only Gus was acting as normal.

“After all, these are only common pieces of furniture, you’ll get used to them eventually.
Don’t get too distracted by these things that you’ll forget your responsibilities, okay?”

“Gus… As I thought, you’re amazing.”

“Heh, it’s because they are inferior to the ones I have in my house.”

“Well, that should be a given!”

You’re talking about the Royal Palace, you know?!

“You guys! Stop being impressed by the furniture and quickly take your seats. Since
everyone’s seating arrangement is posted on the blackboard, go sit according to it.”

Was what the male instructor who led us here said, urging everyone to be seated. Well,
my seat is… Ah! It’s right in front of the instructor’s desk; it was the so-called special
seat*.

[T/N: Front row seat.]

Even though I said that, since there were only ten seats, so it was the same no matter
where I sat.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 114 | 279
The arrangement of the seats were three desk, four desk, and three desk at the back.
It was set up using the three-four-three system*.

[T/N: It’s referring to soccer formation.]

Thanks to the desks being positioned alternately, the blackboard could be seen from
any seat.

When I reached my desk and sat down, the male instructor also sat down on his desk.

“Well, once again, congratulations on your admission. I am the one in charge of this
class, Alfred Marcus. I will also be the one who will oversee your practical training, so
I look forward to it. After this, we’ll do self-introduction of each other, I’ll brief you on
the schedule from tomorrow onwards, and then we’ll end it for today. So, I’ll start with
myself. As I’ve said earlier, my name is Alfred Marcus. I’m also a graduate from this
Advanced Magic Academy, and it’s been five years since I became an instructor. Before
I became an instructor, I was part of the Royal Court Magician Division. After working
there for about five years, since there was an opening in the academy’s teaching staff,
I became an instructor. That’s why my current age is 28 years old. The person I respect
is Magi Merlin-dono. Because of that, I am delighted to be the instructor-in-charge of
this class. That is all.”

He said something like that in the end. Since he said those things, then everyone else
would have to say something similar.

“Well, next is you all. Now then, let us go in the order of the entrance exam rankings.
Starting from Shin Walford.”

“Yes. Well, since there are both people whom I’ve met and people I’m meeting for the
first time, once again, I’m Shin Walford. Even though I’ve mentioned this during the
representative speech, since I’ve been living in the woods until recently, I don’t know
a lot about the world. That is why, even if I somehow do some strange things, please
don’t abandon me. I was taught by Grandpa and so I can use magic in general. Since
Grandma also taught me Enchantment Magic, I can also create magic tools. The people
I respect are Grandpa and Grandma. Please take care of me.”

“Personal lesson from both Merlin-sama and Melinda-sama….”

“How enviable…”

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Somehow, everyone had expressions of envy mixed with yearning. Was everyone fans
of grandpa and grandma?

“Next, Prince Augusto, please go ahead.”

“Yes. Everyone, I think all of you already know me, but there might be someone
uninformed of the world like Shin. So once again, I am Augusto von Earlshide, the First
Prince of this Kingdom. However, as you all know, social ranking does not apply here
in this academy, and this also applies to the Royal Family. That’s why everyone, please
feel free to talk to me without any reservation, just like Shin. Although not as much as
Shin, I can brag that I can use magic to some extent. If I were to be compared to Shin,
it truly is just to ‘some extent.’ The people whom I respect are Father and, of course,
Magi Merlin-dono. From now on, please take care of me.”

Don’t mention me in your introduction every now and then! Oi!

“He also has a close relationship with His Highness.”

“How enviable degozaru.”

There’s a Samurai here after all! Who is it!?

“Well then, next, Maria von Meshina.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you all, I am Maria von Meshina. I am the second daughter of Count
Meshina. Since Girls’ Academy doesn’t suit me and I can use magic fairly well, I came
to the Magic Academy. Just like what His Highness said a while ago, it’d make me really
happy if everyone feels free to come and talk to me. The person whom I respect most
is, as expected, Guru Melinda-sama. My aim is to be a strong and beautiful woman just
like Melinda-sama! Please take care of me!”

The Girls’ Academy where nobles’ and wealthy rich girls attend doesn’t suit her, huh.
Certainly, she doesn’t feel ladylike.

“Next, Sicily von Claude.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Sicily von Claude. I am the third daughter
of Viscount Claude and was dragged by Maria to take the examination for the Magic
Academy. To meet such wonderful people, I’m very grateful to Maria for inviting me.
I’m good with Healing Magic, but my attack-related magic is a bit lacking. I think I’ll be
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 116 | 279
able to support everyone. The person I respect most is Melinda-sama. I’d like to meet
her someday, if possible. Please take care of me.”

It’s okay, Sicily. Grandma wants to meet Sicily, too. For evaluation purposes.

“Next, Alice Corner.”

“Ye~s. Everyone, nice to meet you all. I’m Alice Corner. Although there have been
people with amazing family before me, I’m afraid the flow will stop with me. My family
is an ordinary commoner family, and my father does accounting for the Hague
Company. Unfortunately, since I’m not good with accounting, I’ll work hard at magic!
I’m really lucky to be able to be in the same class as Shin-kun! The person whom I
respect the most is Melinda-sama. Please take care of me!”

Alice is a blonde girl with blue eyes and short hairstyle. How to describe; she’s thin,
and an overall a tiny girl. Even though she’s the same age, but she’s more of a sister-
like existence. By the way, Hague Company is the company that Uncle Tom manages.

“Next, Thor von Flegel.”

“Yes, I am called Thor von Flegel. The heir to the House of Baron Flegel. I was selected
at a young age to be His Highness, Prince Augusto’s escort and school friend, and ever
since then, I’ve been progressing together with His Highness. On this occasion, for the
purpose of Prince Augusto’s advancement through the Advanced Magic School, and
also for my own plan on becoming an escort part of the Magic Division, I would like to
devote to my studies in this Advanced Magic Academy. Of course, I also respect Magi
Merlin-sama. Please take care of me from now on.”

Thor is Gus’ study partner and escort, huh. He has silver hair and wears a pair of round
glasses. Again, another small boy. Not a ‘young man,’ but a ‘boy,’ is what I want to say.
He seems to be popular with elder sisters.

“Next, Rin Hughes.”

“Yes. I’m Rin Hughes. Father is a Royal Court Magician, Mother is a housewife. I came
here because I love magic. I respect Merlin-sama. Please take care of me.”

So short! I wonder if she’s not much of a talkative girl? Rin has a black hair with a bob
cut style and wears a thin-framed glasses. She’s a medium-built girl. It was the first
time a girl said she respects grandpa. She also said she loves magic, so I guess she likes
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 117 | 279
magic more instead of girls’ stuff.

“Next. Yuri Carlton.”

“Ye~s! Everyone, nice to me you all~, I’m Yuri Carlton. My family manages a hotel.
That’s why everyone~ if you want to secretly stay over, come tell me anytime, okay?
I’ll give you service, okay? I’m good at enchantment magic, so that’s why I really
respect the strong and beautiful Melinda-sama from the bottom of my heart.
Everyone~, take care of me, okay?”

What is it, I wonder. An erotic girl. Large bust, small waist, and large hips*. The way
she talks also has a bit of sweet feeling. And, it’s Carlton-san who is managing a hotel.
Don’t give off the smell of a rich person!

[T/N: Bon kyu bon or hourglass figure.]

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 118 | 279
“Next is, Tony Freed.”

“Yes. Everyone, nice to meet you, I’m Tony Freed. My family, each and every single one
of them is of a Knight lineage. Father, Mother, and my Elder Brother too, everyone went
to the Knight Military Training Academy, but the school with a male-to-female ratio of
9:1 is torture for me, you know. At any rate, I don’t want to go to that kind of academy.
But, I was told that if I want to enroll in the Magic Academy, I won’t be allowed unless
I get into S-Class. I desperately worked my ass off. By the way, if I were to drop from S
Class, I will be forcefully transferred to the Knight Military Training, so I will also work
hard here as well. As expected, as a man, I respect Merlin-sama who got together with
Melinda-sama. Everyone, please take care of me from now on. Also, Carlton-san, take
care of me when I use your hotel.”

He’s a tall, slender good-looking guy [ikemen] with brown hair. I thought of him as a
playboy [chara-otoko] at first but unexpectedly, it seems he was really troubled with
the circumstances of his family. I could cry. But, as expected, he still was a playboy.

“Now then, last one, Julius von Rittenheim.”

“Certainly. I [Sessha] am called Julius von Rittenheim. The eldest son of the House of
Marquis Rittenheim degozaru. Similar to Thor, I also serve Prince Augusto as his
escort and his study partner. But since His Highness decided to continue his studies
at the Magic Academy, I also took the examination together degozaru. Really, I am
weak at magic and therefore, really struggled. Even so, I somehow managed to pass
the exam and has the good fortune to be able to sit next to everyone degozaru. The
people whom I respect are, of course, Magi Merlin-dono, and the Previous Knights
General, Michel-dono degozaru.”

[T/N: Replace all the “I” with “Sessha.”]

He appeared! This guy is the Samurai! On top of that, the way he looks, his name, and
the way he talks don’t match at all! Really, on the contrary to his noble-like name, he
has a big body with sturdy muscles bulging from his uniform. He has short blonde
spiky-like hair, and blue eyes. Even though he has the look of an American Football
player at a glance, the way he talks is like a Samurai. No, he gives nothing but
uncomfortable feelings!

Even so, he doesn’t look like a Magician. Rather, it’s more fitting to say he’s a student
from the Knight Military Training Academy. He himself also said he wasn’t good with

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 120 | 279
magic; this is… no way…

“Ah~… I know what everyone wants to say. It’s not like the academy allowed his
admittance out of consideration for His Highness. It’s purely because of Rittenheim’s
own ability.”

So that’s how it is. I’ve actually suspected one of my classmates.

I… am the worst…

“However, Rittenheim is weak at emission-type magic, so he used Body Strengthening

magic.”

Body Strengthening magic?

“He jumped and reached the target in one leap with his strengthened leg power… and
then destroyed the target with his strengthen fist.”

Abnormal! He’s an abnormal Magician! It’s okay to say that! The way he uses magic is
weird!

“Well~ I [Sessha] will be really embarrassed if you praise me too much degozaru.”

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’re not complimenting you!’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

Immediately after entering the academy, everyone’s mind and heart became one.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 121 | 279
The self-introduction ended when Julius finished his, and after listening to the
schedule for tomorrow and onwards, we were done for the day.

Tomorrow morning, we will get a tour inside the academy. After eating lunch, we will
immediately have practical training at the indoor practice field.

There was no such thing as ‘Training Clothes.’ We were told it was because our uniform
already has high-level defense due to the Enchantment Magic. Even if the uniform
were to be damaged beyond repair, we will be provided with another one for free by
the academy. By the way, the cafeteria in the academy and tuition fees are also free.
This is also the same for the other three major Advanced Academies. Because it is
beneficial to the Kingdom for the purpose of raising human resources, an appropriate
yearly budget has been allocated. However, there is no obligation to serve the Kingdom
after graduation.

Amazing, huh, this kingdom.

And, I had already finished modifying my uniform.

Fufufu, it turned out to be quite close to what I had imagined.

Originally, the uniform was already enchanted with ‘Magic Protection,’ Impact
Mitigation,’ and ‘Anti-Fouling’ using the language of this world. Items enchanted with
three effects are categorized as high-class among general magic tools. Usually, a magic
tool only has one or two effects.

For those enchantment’s effects, ‘Magic Protection has an effect where it will ‘soften’
the impact caused by magic.

‘Impact Mitigation’ will ‘soften’ physical shock.

And, ‘Anti-Fouling’ will remove any stain sticking on the uniform. Since we’ll be
wearing them as is during practical training.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 122 | 279
When I confirmed those effects, I thought ‘Anti-Fouling’ was good as it was, while for
‘Magic Protection’ and ‘Impact Mitigation’, I thought it cannot be just that. For the
effects just ‘soften’…

Thus, I ‘rewrote over’ the enchantment effects.

First, I stripped off the enchanted magic effects for the time being. What I meant by
this is, the recorded characters, I carefully handled them one character at a time, used
a specialized work wand wrapped in mana, and stripped off the characters one by one.
I also made this specialized work wand myself. It wasn’t as though this process cannot
be done with my fingers, but since it requires a delicate work and concentration, I
didn’t do it that way. Doing that while trying to match the characters is absolutely
impossible. Or rather, up until now, it seems no one has ever done ‘stripping off’
enchantment effects before.

If I were to say why this kind of thing is possible, it’s because I didn’t like an effect I
previously enchanted, and I wondered if it was possible to undo it. So, I had
experimented with various things.

When I imagined mana wrapping around the magic tool and characters floating up,
first, the inscribed characters came floating up.

When I saw this, I thought that perhaps maybe… So I made a wand enchanted with
‘Magic Effect Nullification,’ and when I tried to trace one of the floating characters, the
character disappeared. And when I tried to enchant the item one more time, I was able
to enchant it again.

The face grandma made when I showed this to her was amusing.

The number of characters that could be granted on the blazer, shirt and slack was a
total of 20 characters.

What is this made out of? It’s made from a considerably special fabric. Is the thread
different? Since it was said that one could harvest various special materials from
demonized animals, so perhaps maybe it’s the thread from a demonized spider…
Uwa~ I should stop thinking about it.

Previously, when I made the Protection Suit, because it was made with a normal
clothes and had 8 characters, I could only enchant three effects; ‘Stab-Proof’, ‘Anti-
Magic’, ‘Anti-Shock.’ Even so, it was good enough for practical use. However, maybe
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 123 | 279
because the effects were abbreviated when being inscribed, the effects were not able
to fully manifest perfectly.

[T/N: 《防刃》 → Stab-Proof (2), 《対魔法》 → Anti-Magic (3), 《対衝撃》 → Anti-

Shock (3) = 8 characters]

So the enchantments, this time, are: ‘Absolute Magic Defense,’ to replace ‘Anti-Magic.’

‘Anti-Shock’ and ‘Stab-Proof’ is replaced by ‘Complete Physical Impact Absorption.’

Together with this, the originally enchanted ‘Anti-Fouling.’

Plus the newly added ‘Auto-Heal.’

With this, the total is 20 characters.

[T/N: 《絶対魔法防御》 → Absolute Magic Defense (6), 《物理衝撃完全吸収》 →

Complete Physical Impact Absorption (8), 《防汚》 → Anti-Fouling (2), 《自動治癒》
→ Auto-Heal (4) = 20 characters]

Enchanting ‘Absolute Magic Defense’ was particularly hard.

My image couldn’t catch up with the inscribed characters.

Because the words ‘Absolute Magic Defense’ means to defend against all magic, the
effect should be able to defend against all. But for ‘Fire’ and ‘Water,’ the defense
methods are different. I couldn’t imagine how to ‘defend’ all, and so I failed to inscribe
the words many times.

I was quite troubled on what to do.

When grandma looked at me being troubled, she was watched me with a very worried
look.

And then, from a certain change of idea, I finally succeeded in inscribing them.

That image was ‘Magic Dispersion.’

I enchanted the image where it extends a mana barrier to wrap around the uniform,
and when an invoked magic touches that barrier, that magic’s mana will be dispersed.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 124 | 279
Up until that point, I was imagining a ‘Hard Wall,’ but it didn’t go that well. And so,
instead of ‘Stopping,’ I thought of what will happen if the mana, which is the building
block of magic itself, is dispersed. So when I tried experimenting on that theory, it was
properly invoked.

The moment I succeeded, I shouted with a loud voice.

And grandma came flying over.

‘Complete Physical Impact Absorption’ also has the same principle. Rather than
imagining ‘Hardness,’ when I imagined the ‘Dissipation of Kinetic Energy,’ the
enchantment was inscribed successfully. The moment a moving object hits this
uniform, its movement will be stopped as if completely ignoring the laws of physics;
that kind of movement honestly gave off an unpleasant feeling. But as an armor, it is
the best, though.

‘Anti-Fouling’ has the image where it memorizes the original condition of the clothes,
and removes all other foreign objects sticking on the clothes.

For ‘Auto-Heal,’ the image is where it recognizes wounds and fractures, and activates
when it detects those injuries. It then gathers cells from other parts of the body and
temporarily changes them into stem cells. Those stem cells then restore the parts in
need of mending and returns them back to their original condition.

That is why, when ‘Auto-Heal’ activates, the body becomes slightly thinner.

By the way, the effect would only manifest for causes that can be treated surgically.

Although it looks like the defensive equipment is invincible at a glance, but there are
two major flaws.

First, only the areas covered by the ‘uniform’ are protected. The face, hands, and feet
are defenseless.

Second, the enchantments won’t activate from the start if one doesn’t supply it with
mana.

The first flaw can be compensated up to a certain extent by automatic healing

enchanted on the uniform.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 125 | 279
For the second flaw, in the first place, the enchantments will activate when one were
to use magic.

I think it won’t be a problem since there aren’t a lot of situations where one receives
attacks. Most of it will only be during battles.

Since the enchantments require a reasonable amount of mana to activate, there’s no

need to keep activating them all the time. It is also important to be cautious because
one can receive damage from surprise attacks.

And so, all those enchantment magic has been implemented in this uniform.

With a sour face, grandma warned me to absolutely never reveal this to anyone.

The time when everyone was leaving the classroom, since homeroom has ended and
we were dismissed for today.

“Shin, do you have a minute?”

I was stopped by Maria.

“Hmm? What is it?

“There’s something I want to discuss with you, is that okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay but…”

Is it that again? They want me to let them meet grandpa and grandma?

“I want to discuss something regarding Sicily.”

All right, I’ll hear it.

“Did something troublesome happen?”

“Yes, it’s a really troublesome thing.”

Maria had a really troubled expression.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 126 | 279
Whereas Sicily had a really apologetic expression on her face.

Since both of them had such expressions, does this mean it’s really troublesome?

“Actually… there’s a guy who’s stalking Sicily.”

“Wha…”

Whaaaat~! Where and which guy is it!?

“It was after meeting Shin for the first time, I think. He was making advances towards
Sicily ever since, and even though Sicily refused him many times, he still came back to
the point of using his family’s influence as a threat.”

He’s the worst, that guy. When things don’t go the way he wanted, he uses the family
influences, so any time now…

“Since Sicily didn’t do like he wanted, it seems he got really mad… So he might do
something reckless sooner or later.”

… As I thought, huh.

“Also… that stalker guy I mentioned… is here in this academy.”

“What did you say!?”

If he’s here in the academy, this isn’t the time to be relaxed since anything can happen
at any time!

Sicily had a really painful and apologetic expression on her face.

“Sorry Shin-kun… telling you something like this…”

“What are you talking about? Rather, I’m really glad that you let me know!”

“…That’s why, I’m so sorry…”

What does that mean? Putting that aside, this situation requires immediate attention.

While I was thinking about what to do, a voice called out to us.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 127 | 279
“Oi! Sicily, you bitch! What’s the meaning of this? You’re already my fiancee, and yet
you’re talking to another man!”

What did he say?! Who the hell is he!

Sicily’s face distorted into a painful expression when she heard that voice. Who was it
that made Sicily have this kind of expression! When I looked at the person who made
that voice…

It’s him again. It’s Cart.

“It’s him. He’s been stalking Sicily all the time, and has been saying she’s his fiancee to
people around him as he pleases.”

Maria said to me.

Sicily who looked at the guy, panicked and hid behind my back. Maybe because he
didn’t like what he saw, he walked towards us with his face red from anger.

“Sicily! You bitch, come over here!”

Cart stretched out his hand and tried to grab Sicily’s arm.

But there’s no way I would let such a thing happen.

I grabbed the arm reaching out for Sicily, and twisted it behind his back. Somehow, it
feels like deja vu.

“GUWA~! Le~, let go, you insolent person!”

“Ha~ You’re still talking like that?”

Because he was being loud, I released him. When I did, he still yelled while glaring at
me. He’s still annoying even after being released.

“That Sicily is my fiancee! The likes of you are not allowed to talk to her!”

“You said those kinds of things, but is it true?”

“Well… that…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 128 | 279
Aa, since Cart’s voice was so loud, she became timid, huh.

“Sicily, it’s okay. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you. That’s why you just try to
say whatever is on your mind.”

“Shin-kun…”

I said that in order to reassure Sicily. Then, Sicily had a look that seemed to be
determined about something, turned towards Cart and spoke.

“I… I decline your proposal of marriage! Also, it’s troublesome when you selfishly label
me as your fiancee!”

Sicily’s voice echoed throughout the hallway, which turned quiet in order to watch the
developing events. Alright! Well said, Sicily.

“Yo-you bitch! Are you telling me you’re defying ME!”

“I’m de-defying you! I have no intention of doing anything you told me to!”

She’s probably scared; her legs are trembling. Even so, she said the things she wanted
to say. You’re great, Sicily.

“Yo-you bitch… A woman dares to defy me? All you women should only please the man
beside her. Furthermore, even though I let you be by my side, don’t screw with me!”

“Which one of us is screwing around?”

Those earlier words are not allowed. Women are not tools of men. I was angry from
the bottom of my heart at this guy who said those words nonchalantly.

“Y-you bastard… You’re stubbornly defying me, ahh!”

“Ah~ I’ll defy you all I want. Do~n’t get conceited thinking you can always have
everything your way.”

“Ugh, y-, y-y-y-y-y you bastard.”

Oh, his red face got redder. Did he burst his blood vessels?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 129 | 279
“That’s enough, to be full of yourself… Fine, I’ll show you what happens to anyone who
dares to defy me.”

“What’s that? A threat? Fine, come attack me anytime. Since I’ll beat you down
thoroughly.”

“Is it okay for you to say something like that? Sicily. If I remember correctly, your father
is an administrator at the Finance Bureau, right?”

“That’s right… But… No way!”

“That’s right. My father is the Vice Minister of the Finance Bureau. If I were to say a
word to Father… well, I wonder what will happen?”

Cart said that with a disgusting smile on his face.

Thi-this guy! He’s really the worst!

“That’s enough.”

“Prin-Prince Augusto…”

Just when I’m about to lose my temper, Gus came and interfered.

“Cart von Ritzburg, do you not remember what I told you during the entrance
examination?”

“Th-that is…”

“Furthermore, to ask your own father to put pressure on your opponent’s father, it’s
an outrageous act unbecoming of a noble of this Kingdom.”

“…”

Cart was admonished by Gus; he bowed his head and couldn’t say anything at all.

“I will let the Director of the Finance Bureau know about this through my Father. So
there would be no strange actions taken, just in case.”

“Ah! Th-that is!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 130 | 279
“This is a decided matter. Objections are not allowed. If you understand, you can go
already.”

“… Yes… I understand…”

After he glared at me with eyes that were full of intense hatred even more than during
the entrance ceremony, he left.

“Thanks, Gus, you saved me. Just a little more and I would have lost my temper.”

“Sorry, Your Highness. Thank you very much.”

“What, although I was watching what you were going to do, but since it seemed the
conversation was going in a strange direction, I decided to take the liberty of
intervening. But I also felt like I wanted to see what would have happened if you were
to snap.”

“You! Give back my thanks!”

So you were watching this whole time! If that was the case, you should have intervened
immediately!

“Don’t get so angry. Because you were here, I was sure there would be no danger to
Meshina and Claude.”

“Well, of course, there would be no danger… but there’s also a chance things could go
wrong, you know.”

“Hehe, is that so? ‘Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.’ Didn’t you
say that? You looked really cool, right Claude?”

“Eh! Umm, that is… he looked really… cool…”

“Is what she said, isn’t that great? Shin.”

This guy… really…!

Sicily became red-faced and fidgeted bashfully. She was looking at me with an upward
glance… Ah, really! She’s so cute, goddammit!

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 131 | 279
“Hey, do you think it’s all right now with this?”

Maria came and asked anxiously. Well, under those circumstances, anyone couldn’t
feel relief at all.

Although I don’t know why he’s so convinced that he is special compared to others,
and also, he doesn’t seem to the type of guy who would simply accept how things
didn’t end up the way he wanted. I should probably still pay attention to him.

“Well, I still think it’s necessary to take caution until I see him stopping those glances.
Don’t relax your guard just yet.”

“As I thought… that’s how it is…”

Sicily has fallen silent. That won’t do, I have to cheer her up. I could have her meet
grandma for the first time, ah! That’s it!

“Although this is sudden, it came to me. After this, does everyone want to come over
my house?”

“EHhhh?! Shin’s house?!”

“That’s what I said…”

“Let’s go! I’ll let Father and Mother know right away! So let’s do that!”

“I-I will go too! I’ll also let my parents know, thank you very much!

The two of them bolted and answered immediately.

Did they really want to meet grandpa and grandma this much?

“Hmm, I guess I’ll go as well. Father is probably making his way to Shin’s house now,
anyway.”

He’s probably there. No doubt.

“I will also be going with His Highness as his escort.”

“I [Sessha] will also be going [de-gozaru].”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 132 | 279
Ah, so they were there, Thor and Julius. Well, I guess it’s only natural since they’re Gus’
escort. Although today was the first time I’ve seen it.

“Then, I will go and speak to my parents!”

“Please wait for me!”

Sicily became energetic now. They dashed away immediately.

“So what now? Did you manage to come up with something??”

“Ah, this uniform has been imparted with enchantment magic.”

“It is as you said.”

“I was thinking of rewriting the enchantment magic.”

Gus and everyone else froze. Ah, they’ve recovered now.

“… Wait a minute. Just now, did I hear you say something disturbing?”

“Huh? Which part?”

“Well… I heard you say something like ‘rewriting’ the enchantment magic…”

“That’s right, this uniform is made out of pretty good fabric. You can enchant it with
as many as twenty characters.”

“You… didn’t you come here to learn about common sense?”

“That’s right?”

“Ha~ That’s enough. If I get surprised every single time, my body won’t be able to keep
up.”

What the hell, you went ahead and ended the topic all by yourself. It bothers me.

Thor and Julius also had a strange expression on their faces, just what is it?

After having a short exchange, Maria and Sicily returned. They dashed back.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 133 | 279
“Ha, a ha a… ng… ha… So-sorry to keep you waiting…”

“Wafuuu ha fuuu… Sorry kept… you waiting…”

They were completely out of breath. Did they come dashing at full power?

“Even if you guys didn’t run at full power…”

“What are you talking about! There’s no way we can afford to keep Magi-sama and
Guru-sama waiting!”

“That’s right!”

But the other party has already been waiting considerably.

“There’s really no need to worry about it that much, though… Well then, shall we go?”

“N-Nn!”

“Y-y-yes!”

And so, Sicily, Maria, Gus, Thor, Julius, and I; six people, began to walk together.

“Sorry guys. But ever since the entrance ceremony, my family have wanted to meet
you.”

“No, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Or rather, when I told my family I’ll be
going to Shin’s house, they were envious. They told me to tell them all about it when I
get home.”

“The same thing happened in my house.”

“I-is that so.”

The people in this country respect grandma and grandpa way too much!

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 134 | 279
Grandpa and grandma had been waiting for the next move in the Academy’s guest
room and were watching out cautiously for commotions. Naturally, Uncle Dis was
together with them.

“You’re pretty late. I was worried that something might have happened.”

“That’s true. Tell me, what in the world have you been doing?”

“Shin-kun, I was waiting for you, but I was not worried. I think you haven’t done
anything wrong.”

Compared to grandpa and grandma who was seriously worried about me, Uncle Dis is
cruel!

“Sorry for making you worry, something happened that caused some delays.”

When I turned my head, I saw two people behind me looking nervous and tense.

I guess it’s only natural. Since there are two heroes and a King present, I guess there’s
no helping it for them to be nervous.

“These two girls are my new classmates, they are Sicily and Maria.”

“Ni-ni-ni-nice to meet you! I’m in the same class as Shin-kun, my name is Maria von
Meshina!!”

“Umm! That! Ni-nice to meet you! I’m Sicily von Claude!”

They were thoroughly nervous.

“This beautiful looking girl [bishoujo] with navy blue hair. Is she the girl Shin-kun was
talking about?”

“The one Shin-kun was talking about?”

You don’t have to say anything unnecessary!

“Ho~ so it’s you…”

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The look on grandma’s face changed. However, it looks like she’s looking at Sicily as if
she was evaluating her. The conversation has completely stalled!

“Grandma, you can do that kind of thing later, for now, let’s go back home. We can’t
talk properly here.”

“Hohho~, since you led them here, then you’re also bringing the young ladies when
we go, right?”

“Nn, these two girls… or rather, it’s about Sicily.”

“Is that so, then, let’s go home, and we’ll listen carefully to what you have to say.”

And so, Sicily, Maria got on our horse-drawn carriage, while Gus, Thor, and Julius got
on Uncle Dis horse-carriage, and we returned home.

Inside the horse-drawn carriage, as expected, the two were still very tense. Especially
Sicily, since grandma’s stares were getting stronger.

Grandma, you’re scary, that’s why please stop it.

After five minutes of tension, we finally arrived home. These were the longest five
minutes I have ever felt in my life….

“And so? You said there’s a story about this young lady. What is it? Don’t tell me, you
already promised…”

“That! It’s not what you think!”

“Then, what is it?”

“Hmn, as you know, enchantment magic is granted to this uniform, right?”

“Ah~ …that was outrageous, wasn’t it…”

“Huh, right, it’s not about that… Is it okay for me to grant those enchantments on this
child’s uniform?”

“… I’d like to first hear the details.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 136 | 279
I told them about what happened today in the academy. And, because the situation
was not completely solved, I wanted to strengthen her defense.

“I see, so that was the reason why you were so slow to come out.”

“Diseum.”

“Ha. What is it, Merlin-dono?”

“In this country of yours, those kinds of nobles still exist?”

“No… I had no awareness of… The nobles in this country should have been reformed.
Although there might still be obstinate nobles with a strong sense of elitism who have
yet to yield. However, when talking about the Vice Chief Officer of the Finance Bureau,
Ritzburg, he’s famous for being a strict person with strong morals, and he loathes
things such as injustices and putting pressure on others. I cannot believe his son
would say such a thing.”

“Hmm, that means there’s a possibility that it is the child’s recklessness…”

His father sounds like an amazing person. With that kind of father, it doesn’t look like
he’ll be willing to put pressure on Sicily’s father even if Cart asked. Then, why did he
say something like that? Did he not know what his own father was like?

“Grandma, is it okay?”

“If that’s the case… Young lady over there, you said your name was Sicily?”

“Ye-yes!”

“The enchantment magic Shin is talking about, in reality, is a preposterous

substitution. And here he is saying he wants to grant it to your uniform. That means,
this child is serious in regards to protecting you with it. Do you really believe you are
qualified to be protected by him?”

“Qualified… you say…”

Qualification to receive my protection. I’m not that kind of insolent human being, you
know?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 137 | 279
“Grandma, as for qualification… I don’t need something exaggerated like that. It’s
because it’s something I want to do, so you don’t have to do anything grandiose.”

“You, be quiet and just listen. And you, do you even understand what in the world will
happen if Shin granted that to your uniform?”

“What will happen, you say.”

“That uniform is powerful enough to be considered as a protective armor of a national

treasure grade.”

” ” ” ” ” “National treasure grade!?” ” ” ” ” ”

Eh? Is that so?

“Master Melinda! What do you mean!?”

“Neither here nor there, this child once again did something outrageous. If I explain it
like that, you’ll understand, right? It’s something that cannot be done according to our
common sense.”

“I see what you mean… just hearing about it is scary.”

There’s nothing to be afraid of, you know? Or rather, wouldn’t it protect them?

“It’s unbecoming that I can’t even fathom what kind of ridiculously high value this
uniform has become as a protective armor. Nevertheless, this child wants to impart
the very same enchantment magic on your uniform. Do you have the resolution and
qualification to accept it?”

“That is… qualification…”

After being asked this question, tears began to form in Sicily’s eyes.

Why?!

“I… I do not… have the qualification….”

And so she said with her tears spilling out of her eyes.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 138 | 279
“Hmph, what do you mean by you don’t have the qualification?”

“I was taking advantage of Shin-kun’s kindness. I thought if I spoke to Shin-kun about

my circumstances…. he would take pity on me, and help me… And so, I told him about
my situation.”

“Well, this child is strong, after all. It’s not like I don’t understand the feeling of wanting
to rely on him.”

“But! But… Although it had nothing to do with Shin-kun… as I thought, he did help
me… It made me happy when he said he would protect me… And while depending on
the thought that he would protect me… I selfishly did everything I wanted at my own
convenience…”

Sicily’s flow of tears was unstoppable. I see, when she first told me about her situation,
she had an apologetic expression. However, she wasn’t apologetic for “letting me hear
such a strange story,” but it was because “I want you to sympathize with me and help
me after you hear the story,” that’s exactly what I had speculated.

But to be honest, even if she didn’t say anything, I knew the truth. I wonder if I should
lie?

“Melinda-sama! We apologize for attempting to take advantage of your grandson.

After this, we’ll try to solve it ourselves. We’re sorry for the inconvenience!”

To the crying Sicily, I was thinking of confessing the fact that I knew she was trying to
use me.

What am I thinking! If I confess, it’ll be revealing that I’m also pursuing Sicily…

“Wait a minute!!”

Grandma said to take control.

Surprised by the voice, Sicily suddenly stood stock-still.

Sicily’s tears still had yet to stop. She looks like she’s falling into self-hatred…

“Sicily, I’m glad you spoke honestly. It’s a good thing you quickly understood that you
were trying to take advantage of Shin. But if you didn’t speak straightforwardly, it
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 139 | 279
would have defeated the whole purpose of him granting magic on your uniform.”

“U~u… hick…. ugh…”

With those words, her response was nothing but sobs and not words. Did she really
have to cry that much?

“However, you spoke honestly. That protective armor enhanced with magic could be
considered as a national treasure. But nevertheless, you abandoned the chance to have
it for yourself. It’s not something anyone can do.”

“Be-because… hick… I tricked Shin-kun… tricked him… but he still wants to gi-give me
something like that, hick, there’s nooo way I can accept ittt.”

Although it’s hard to understand what she is saying because she was sobbing
convulsively, I guess she couldn’t forgive herself for trying to use me.

“What’s so wrong about a woman tricking a man. In addition, you’re a cute looking
girl. Look at Shin, it’s not like he noticed. And so, with a cute girl relying on him, don’t
you think he’ll be more fired up?”

“It’s my bad! Hey Sicily, please don’t think that you were using me, or fooling me, okay?
It was my intention, my wish, to help Sicily. That’s why don’t deny my intention.”

“Shin-kun.”

“It’s fine even if you use me. Or rather, I would really regret it if you didn’t tell me the
circumstances and then something happens to Sicily.”

“It was wrong of me to test you. I had to verify whether or not you are qualified to
receive a protective armor enhanced with magic. It was my fault.”

Grandma suddenly became very gentle. She hugged Sicily close and started stroking
her head.

“U-u-u-waaaaa~!!”

I guess she felt relieved after grandma hugged her, and she finally let it all out.

“Well then, Shin, you can go ahead and enhance Sicily’s uniform.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 140 | 279
“It’s it okay?”

“Ah, but Sicily, it’ll be useless if you reveal it to others. You cannot receive it unless you
make a promise. That’s why I want you to decide whether or not you’re prepared to
do so.”

“Wuu, yes, I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“Alright. You’re a good child.”

That’s good, it seems like Sicily has somehow settled down. Now I can enchant Sicily’s
uniform.

However, If I don’t get her to change her clothes, the enchantment will be impossible
because I won’t be able to enchant her blazer, shirt, and skirt.

However, it was difficult to ask a girl to take off her clothes. While I was thinking of
what to do, grandma gave me a lifeboat.

“Come Sicily, you have to take off your clothes in order to grant enchantment magic on
your uniform. Let’s go to the room and I’ll lend you some clothes.”

“Nn… hick… ye-yes.”

And so, she went away and took Sicily to the room.

While I was watching her go…

“Hey, Shin.”

“What is it, grandpa?”

“I completely didn’t notice that that child was trying to take advantage of you, Shin.”

“What about it, grandpa… I didn’t notice, too…”

“Melinda did really well in noticing…”

“…Maybe it’s because they’re both women?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 141 | 279
“But if that child’s uniform was enhanced just like that, her heart might get crushed
from her sense of guilt later on.”

“… That’s why, was it really that important?”

“It looks like you still haven’t realized it…”

That’s why I said it’s too exaggerated.

“But that aside…”

“What is it?”

“That grandma, didn’t it look like she took over the authority here? I felt like I was air.”

…Do your best! Grandpa!

“Here, since you’ll be changing again soon, this will do.”

Melinda said so, and from amongst her clothes, she passed Sicily a white one piece
dress for her to change to.

“Now, quickly get changed, and we’ll return to where everyone is. Since we’re taking
up unnecessary time. We should hurry.”

“Umm, I’m truly very sorry…”

Sicily felt apologetic with the knowledge that she was taking up unneeded time to
change her clothes.

“Even so, you did well in being honest. If it was me when I was young, I would have
absolutely stayed silent in order to obtain a national treasure grade protective armor.”

“…In the beginning, I was reluctant to rely on Shin-kun’s kindness. But because I felt
really helpless at that time… when Shin-kun helped me, I was really happy… It would
have been very painful if I had stayed silent…”

“With that kind of state of mind, you still found it painful to receive his help?”
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 142 | 279
“…Yes.”

“Really now, aren’t you a good girl. About earlier, I’m really sorry, Sicily.”

“No, because it’s about your family, it’s only natural for you to worry. I’m also very
sorry.”

“By the way, Sicily?”

“What is it?”

“You, how do you feel about Shin?”

“E-Ehhhh!?”

“Since you’re a good girl, I’d like to ask you to take care of Shin.”

“T-t-t-to take care!?”

“What do you think? You’re not opposed to the idea, are you?”

“Th-that is something… even I… don’t know well myself.”

“Hmm?”

“I do not dislike him, absolutely not. But, if you were to ask me what I think about Shin-
kun… I think he’s kind… he’s strong, and he’s cool… But if you ask me if I like him… I
don’t know the answer to that.”

“…But I think you like him more than enough…”

“Eh?”

“No, it’s nothing. You’ve finished changing. Now then, let’s go back to where everyone
is.”

“Yes!”

Sicily went back to where everyone else was while Melinda decided something in her
mind.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 143 | 279
‘I somehow want this girl.’

Thus, Sicily had been locked-on by Melinda.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 144 | 279
Sicily and grandma came back. Sicily seemed to have calmed down. I’m glad.

“Sicily, have you calmed down?”

“Nn…I’m really sorry Shin-kun… I’m sorry to have involved you with my circumstances
and gave you trouble…”

“That’s why I said don’t worry about it. I got involved because I wanted to.
Understand? Now, lend me your uniform.”

The uniform Sicily took off was now in her hands. Now, it was time for me to enhance
it with magic. For that purpose, Sicily handed me the uniform.

“Shin.”

“What is it, grandma?”

“When you use enchantment magic on the uniform, do it in front of everyone.”

“Why?”

“What you’re about to do, do you even know how preposterous it is? Let everyone see
it.”

Preposterous? Is it really?

“Look at the reaction of the people around you; see for yourself how absurd what
you’re doing is, and gain some awareness of it.”

What a cruel thing to say. I am not doing anything outrageous, I think.

So, I immediately began the enchantment process by using “Nullification” on the

enchanted uniform.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 145 | 279
To start, I took out the cane used exclusively for nullification magic. The cane was
narrow and short, specially made for precision work.

Then, I covered the uniform with magic power and imagined the characters used as
enchantment emerging from the uniform.

“Wha, What? That is?

“Magic Protection? Shock Mitigation? Anti-Fouling?”

“No way… Are those the characters used as enchantment…?

“This is the first time I’ve seen this kind of spectacle degozaru.”

When I started, everyone also started making noises.

Then, I activated magic using the cane, tapped the floating enchanted characters with
the tip of the cane. When suddenly…

“The characters… they’ve disappeared…”

“No way… the Magic Enchantment have been nulled!?”

That’s right, the effect will disappear after the characters have been erased. At this
point, everyone was already stupefied with their jaw hanging open. However, the
performance has just started.

“Haa~… Even though I’m seeing it myself, this spectacle is ridiculous…”

“Hohho, it’s not something anyone can think of easily. He has really matured.”

“It’s because of you! It’s because of you that Shin is… Shin is!”

Grandpa and grandma are flirting with each other.

They should really just get back together.

The enhancement granted on the blazer, shirt, and skirt has all been removed. Now,
it’s time to grant them my own enhancement magic.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 147 | 279
First, I imagined the effects of ‘Absolute Magic Defense.’ Any magic with malicious
intent will be dispersed by the magic barrier. Then, I transfer that image into the
uniform. I went ahead and did it for three of the clothing because it was tedious if I
imagine one image at a time.

“Did you perform the enhancement for three items at the same time?”

“Because it’s tedious if I do them one at a time.”

“That is amazing…”

Huh? Is it really!?

Next, I envisioned the effects of ‘Complete Physical Impact Absorption.’ I maintained

the image of kinetic energy being dispersed once it touches the uniform, and also
sequentially transferred the image to the three pieces of clothing.

Followed by imparting ‘Anti-Fouling’ and ‘Auto Heal.’

During this time, nobody said a thing.

“I’m such in a state of shock where I don’t know what to say…”

Such a thing shouldn’t happen… at least, I think.

And so, the uniform which had been imparted with magic enchantment was now
complete.

“By the way, Shin. Although you seem to have used characters you’re familiar with, but
what sort of effects do they have?”

“The effects of the four enchantment are ‘Absolute Magic Defense,’ ‘Complete Physical
Impact Absorption,’ ‘Anti-Fouling,’ and ‘Auto Heal’.

I just announced the names of the four enchantment but didn’t bother explaining what
they do.

“… For some reason, think I just heard some disturbing words.”

“Is that so? You should just think of the enchantment as an upgraded version of what

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 148 | 279
the uniform originally had. However, ‘Auto Heal’ is an addition.”

“…So? What does the other respective enchantment do?”

“Absolute Magic Defense disperses all magic completely. Complete Physical Impact
Absorption nullifies the kinetic phenomenon behind the physical impacts. Auto Heal
can heal any injury, however, it cannot cure illnesses. And Auto-Fouling is the same as
before.”

With a somewhat weary face, Uncle Dis asked me once again.

“…Can you explain the effects in detail? To what extent of magic can the Absolute Magic
Defense defend against?”

“Absolute Magic Defense causes magic itself to disperse. So, all kinds of magic.”

“All kinds of magic…”

“That enhancement magic is a controversy to the existence of Magicians…”

“And, what about Complete Physical Impact Absorption?”

“It is similar. Physical attacks… or rather, it defends against attacks with any form of
kinetic energy, such as physical objects.”

“Even physical attacks…”

“Really, anything goes degozaru…”

“… I wonder, how much healing power does Auto-Heal have?”

“It’ll heal to some extent, such as cure minor wounds or replace any damaged cells.
However, it doesn’t work on illnesses.”

“Up to a certain amount of damage…”

“Wait a moment… how does that work out?”

Somehow or another, everyone was muttering, but this is far from perfect, okay?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 149 | 279
“Well even if I said this, because this is a magic tool, right, it won’t work unless it’s
imbued with magical power. And on top of that, it needs quite a bit of it. Therefore,
you should take caution because it’s not something you should always be using. It also
won’t necessarily trigger to protect you during a surprise attack. Nevertheless, I think
it should prevent the situation of receiving an attack in the middle of chanting because
aren’t there plenty of magic made to gather on you when trying to use magic?”

This is something I want them to understand. A uniform is a magic tool and it needs
magic power to activate, and, therefore, cannot be used continuously. It’s similar to
the saying ‘although lamps and candles produce light, firewood is still necessary for a
fireplace.’

One can think of magic power as a form of an energy source coming from a battery,
and without it, the magic tool cannot be activated. With this theory, I tried to come up
with something that can store up magic power, however, I couldn’t think of anything.
I wonder if there’s something out there?

“I see, now I understand what Melinda-shi was talking about. Certainly, it this was to
be released to the public, without a doubt, it would be an item of a national treasure
level. And to be able to able to easily grant this kind of enchantment, I guess I should
say, it as expected…”

“It is an amazing item, no doubt. However, Father, this is…”

“Ah, I understand. Shin-kun, do you mind?”

“What is it, Uncle Dis?”

“Shin-kun, the magic enhancement you’ve imparted it amazing. No, it’s actually too
amazing. However, it would cause a serious issue if it was to be sold in the market.
That’s why, you must absolutely not reveal it to others.”

“It’s not like I had that kind of plan to begin with, however, what would happen if the
word gets out?”

“It’s about that. When that happens, if the word about this enchantment gets out to
the military…”

“If the word gets out to them…?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 150 | 279
“There is a high possibility that our military will voice their desire to declare war to
nearby countries.”

“Declare war!?”

“They won’t have to fear any magic attacks, and also, bow, spear, and sword attacks
will be rendered ineffective. They also don’t have to wear heavy armor, nevertheless,
as long as they are not heavily injured, they will receive immediate healing. If a
massive amount of soldiers wearing armor with such enchantment were to gather…
Don’t you think it will be possible for them to overwhelmingly trample over armed
forces of other countries?”

“Tha-that is…”

“Human beings are susceptible to temptation. When they think they have an
overwhelming advantage against other countries… it’s highly possible that they will
declare war. A person who gives into that temptation… will surely appear.”

“Tha-that is…!”

I… was thinking that it would have the power to defend everyone… However, didn’t
have thoughts apart from that… I didn’t think thoroughly about its capabilities of being
a tool of war…

War is an act most modern Japanese people repulsed. Thus, I didn’t think about it.

…Somehow… I wasn’t aware of the differences between the reality of this world and
my thoughts…

“I see… That should be how it is… I really didn’t think of such possibilities.”

“Ah… Shin has… Shin has reflected for the first time!”

Grandma looked like she was impressed with something. How rude; in the past, I have
reflected on some things! So that I won’t make the same mistakes again…

“Nn, nn, it’s good as long as you understand. About this…”

“To be honest, I also wanted to do the same for Gus’ uniform… However, it’ll be bad if
it becomes widespread.”
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 151 | 279
“Eh? Shin-kun? Wait a minute…..”

“I’m sorry, Gus. I cannot grant these enchantments on your uniform.”

“Wait a minute, Shin-kun! Certainly it’s bad if it gets revealed, but it doesn’t change the
fact that it’s very useful. Don’t you think it’ll be alright as long as he doesn’t misuse
it?!”

“What you said is true. It is not originally made as a tool for war.”

“That’s right, that’s right; it’s nothing more than a tool meant to use for self-defense.
And also, I think it is necessary for a royalty to have a decent amount of defense. Yup.”

“Uncle…”

“Father…”

Uncle Dis was desperate… However, since I originally had the intention of granting the
enchantment on Gus’ uniform, it saved me the trouble of asking for permission…

“I never wanted to see Father with such appearance…”

Gus had a complicated expression on his face. Ah, I see; inside the Royal Palace, the
only appearance he ever saw was one of dignity. However, whenever he escapes to my
house, this kind of expression is often seen.

“Gus, it would be good if you start getting accustomed to it. Since this kind of
appearance is often seen in my house.”

“… Is that… Is that so…?”

In the end, it was decided that the same enchantment would be applied to Gus’
uniform. When it was suggested for the others to have their uniforms enchanted as
well, Maria and the other two refused.

“I don’t want to bear the responsibility of keeping the features of the uniform a
secret…”

It seemed like she genuinely hated the idea. As for the two guards, after having
stressed that it was absolutely necessary for them to have it, it was decided to be

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 152 | 279
applied to their uniforms as well.

And thus, I enchanted three additional uniforms. When I finished Sicily’s uniform and
tried to pass it onto her, she said it was not permissible for her to receive one before
Gus, and so, I gave one to Gus first. How troublesome!

“Thank you, Shin-kun. Although it’s a little scary… I can see that Shin-kun is seriously
trying to protect me. This makes me really happy.”

Sicily gave me her thanks while smiling.

…As I thought, she’s really cute… I want to personally protect this child somehow…
However, I won’t always arrive on time to do so…

“Shin, with this, are we all done?”

“Nn. But as I said before, this tool is not perfect. However, as long as it’s not in a state
of an emergency, there are other things that should be done…”

“Hoho, if that’s the case, I have an idea in mind.”

“Eh!? What is it, Grandpa!?”

“But before that, I wish to confirm something with the young lady. Young lady, how far
is your house from this place, and also, could you tell me how you commute to school?”

“My house is about ten minutes away from here. As for commuting to school, I plan on
walking there with Maria.”

“In reality, there aren’t any problems with walking to school since the security of the
Royal City is good… however, the commute to school would still be the most dangerous
time for the young lady. The possibly of being attacked during that time is high.”

“No way…”

“Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to have Shin meet the young lady at her
house, and commute to school together with her every morning.”

“Merlin! You… you really said something good!”

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“Hohho, I think so too, I think so, too.”

Grandpa said proudly. Since grandma dominated the discussion a while ago, he
wanted to somehow redeem himself.

What from!?

“But… wouldn’t that become a big burden on Shin-kun? To have him come to my house
every day before school… I cannot ask for such a thing.”

Because Sicily was worried about burdening me, she wanted to somehow deal with
Cart alone. She really is a gentle child.

“Fufu, if that’s the case, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Shin has some kind of
magic he can use to pick you up.”

“Melinda… I was just about to explain that…”

Grandpa is losing ground.

“In that case, explain it quickly.”

“Then, I’ll explain it now… Young lady, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Shin has
a certain convenient magic he could use. And the plan consists of him taking advantage
of it.”

“Convenient magic?”

“Ah, that magic…”

Uncle Dis suddenly had a distant look in his eyes. Although I understood why, he didn’t
have to make that of expression.

“Shin, why don’t you show them that magic?”

“Sure, but where is our destination?”

“Hmmm, let me think… the house in the forest would be fine.”

“I understand.”

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I imagined the house we used to live in, and then…

?Gate?

A magic name easy to understand was cast.

And suddenly, a glowing gate appeared in front of our eyes.

Puzzled, everyone approached the gate while looking at it skeptically. I then instructed
everyone to walk through it and went ahead of them.

On the other side of the gate, was a nostalgic sight. It was the home which I have not
seen for several months.

Then, everyone came out of the gate one after another. As soon as they got out, they
were all wide-eyed.

“This magic is amazing as ever.”

“It’s been a while since we came to this house, but appears that the barrier is still fully
functional.”

“Of course, it is. Who did you think made this large barrier.”

Maybe because the adults had already seen it once, they were more calm about it,
however, my classmates were all left speechless.

“This is the house where I lived in until a short while ago.”

When I explained, Gus recovered and started talking.

“Wait a minute, if I am not mistaken, you said you used to live deep in the forest.”

“That’s right. This place is exactly deep in the forest.”

“How did we get to this place?”

“Because I used ‘Gate.'”

“Gate?”

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“Yes, it’s a magic that connects where you currently are and the location of where you
want to go.”

“No way… transference magic…”

“Nn~ But it’s a little different from transference magic.”

Even if I were to explain the concept to them, they probably wouldn’t understand it,
so I didn’t explain.

In the past, when I explained it to grandpa, he wasn’t able to understand it. But despite
that, he has the ability to use extra-dimensional storage space.

“Tra, transference magic…”

“That kind of magic, are those that appears only in stories, right…?”

“Everyone says that you don’t know common sense, but seeing it now, this is…”

“This certainly doesn’t fit the common sense of magic degozaru…”

It’s fine as long as I can imagine it and use it.

When I glanced at the house, I suddenly noticed it.

Huh? How come the magic tool that’s casting the barrier is able to operate
continuously?

“Hey, grandma.”

“What is it?”

“That, what is that tool that’s continuously maintaining the barrier?”

“Th-that is what it is! That! Is grandma’s super-technique!”

“Super-technique…”

“Rather than that, look! Since you’ve already showed them your magic, let’s return!”

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“I-I understand…”

And so, I once again opened the gate, and we went back to the Royal City.

‘Th-that was close…’

Having asked by Shin, Melinda was forced to give him a fabricated response to deceive
him. It really was extremely difficult to fool him…

In fact, the tool Shin has envisioned; one which stores magical power and enables the
continuous use of a magic tool already existed. A tool that stores and releases magical
power also exists.

If that’s the case, why not tell Shin about it? First of all, the object that can store magical
power is extremely expensive in addition to being exceedingly rare. In reality, even
Melinda only had one in her possession, and at the present time, she could not make
it available for Shin. And the biggest reason out of all reasons was…

‘If Shin comes to know about the existence of a magic stone, no one knows what kind of
event would occur.’

But there was something else that frightened Melinda above all. And that is…

‘If it’s Shin, it is highly possible that he might even start producing these magic stones…’

Magic stones are something that takes many long years turn into crystals by the
energy originating from this world. In reality, the principle of crystallization has not
yet been clarified. Since they are mostly discovered below the earth, various research
has been conducted regarding the process, such as unique underground composition,
but so far, no conclusion has been reached.

‘Ha~a… But since he will probably learn it in class, it’s only a matter of time before he
finds out about it…’

There was no end to Melinda’s worries.

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Grandma was forced to fabricate her response. She can’t say it, or doesn’t want to say
it; either way, since grandma doesn’t want to tell me, it can’t be helped. However, it
looks like there is a method one can continue to use a magic tool, and although I cannot
comprehend it presently, I’m sure grandma will teach me one day. Leaving that aside,
let’s continue with the story of commuting to school.

“You understand it now, right? Every morning, Shin will use this ‘Gate’ to go to young
lady’s house, pick her up, and come back to this house. It’s better for them to walk to
the academy from here instead of going directly to school because it might cause a
commotion. Then to get home, they’ll come back to this house, and Shin will once again
use ‘Gate’ to bring her home. With this, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?”

“Merlin brought up quite a good suggestion. Sicily, why don’t you commute to the
academy every day dropping by our house!”

“Ah? Oh, I see. This way, there isn’t much burden to Shin-kun, is there?”

“That’s how it is. That’s why you don’t have to worry about Shin’s burden, right?”

“Okay. Shin-kun?”

“What is it?”

“Umm… Can I ask that of you?”

“Oh, of course!”

“Well then, let’s immediately set off for the young lady’s house.”

“Eh? Why do we need to go to my house?”

“Ah, that’s because I cannot use this magic to go to places I have never been to.”

“That’s how it is. That’s why it’s necessary to go to young lady’s house.”

“Heh, is that so.”

“Since that’s the case, let’s go quickly.”

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Grandpa and grandma are both all geared up and ready to go.

“Why are grandpa and grandma also coming?”

“Hohho, you will be entrusted with the young lady’s safety in the future, so isn’t it right
that I go?”

“It’s only natural to greet the parents.”

It looks like it’s something of the norm. Is that really true?

“Alright, if that’s the case, let’s get ready to go.”

“Wait a minute, Uncle Dis.”

“What is it?”

“Is it okay for a King to easily decide to go to a house of a vassal of this Kingdom?”

“That’s right Father since I’m exercising self-control, Father should also hold back.”

“Ah, I got found out. I thought I would be able to take advantage of the moment of
confusion.”

In the end, the people who went to Sicily’s house were me, grandpa, grandma, Sicily
and Maria; it became the same members who came back from school.

It was a ten-minute walking distance and doesn’t even take five minutes by horse-
drawn carriage. When we arrived at Sicily’s house, it is as expected, a large mansion
befitting of a Viscount. And when we approached the gate, a gatekeeper came to greet
us.

“Pardon me for asking, but who might you be?”

Hmm? Oh, I see. Because she’s not riding a carriage which belongs to the household,
he didn’t notice Sicily.

“It’s me, Mike-san. I have just returned.”

“Young mistress?! Since you’re riding a different carriage, did something happen?!”

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Because of the turmoil caused by Cart, it looks like he’s considerably uptight.

“I’m alright. It’s only because I accepted their offer.”

“Is that so… And the people here are…?”

“They are Magi Merlin-sama, Guru Melinda-sama, and their grandson, Shin-kun.”

“Ma! Magi-sama!? Magi-sama!”

He was extremely surprised. It’s only natural. Especially when a hero suddenly
appears before him.

“Hohho, is it alright for us to enter?”

“Y-yes! Please do!”

“Thank you very much.”

“U-umm!”

“Hmmm?”

“M-may I shake your hand!?”

“Hohhohho, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you very much!!”

“Please continue to earnestly protect Sicily’s house.”

“Yes!!!”

Ah, it looks like his eyes are also becoming watery.

And so, we entered the house. After verifying our identities, the gate opened.

When we entered her house, her parents, who had previously returned after the
entrance ceremony, came out to greet us.

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“Oh! Sicily, you have returned! Now, come inside and let us hear all about Magi…-sama
and… Guru…-sama…”

“Father, Mother, I have returned. And at the same time…”

“Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Magi-sama!? Guru-sama!?”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Merlin.”

“I’m Melinda.”

“Ni-nice to meet you! I am Cecil von Claude! I am… very… honored… to meet… you…”

He burst into tears! Sicily’s father did!

“Oh, honey, really. I’m really sorry about this. I’m Sicily’s mother, Irene von Claude. And
to what do we owe the pleasure to have Magi-sama and Guru-sama here in our house?”

Sicily’s mother asked curiously. Sicily’s mother is a splitting image of her. She gives the
feeling of being a grown up Sicily, but with a shade darker than Sicily’s navy blue hair.

By the way, her father is a handsome man [ikemen] with blonde hair and blue eyes.
An aristocrat! He exudes an atmosphere of elegance. Although he’s currently
crumbling with tears…

“Before that, Shin.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Shin, and I’m Merlin and Melinda’s grandson.”

“My grandson…”

Huh? This time, it was grandma who was tearing up.

“Oh, Shin-kun was the one who helped Sicily, right? Thank you so much for helping
Sicily.”

“Oh, that’s right, Shin-kun!! Thank you so much for helping Sicily! You are Sicily’s, no,
the benefactor of our household!”

“N-no. It was only a matter of course.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 161 | 279
“Regarding that matter, there’s something we’d like to discuss.”

“Something to discuss?”

Grandpa immediately brought up the conclusion of the discussion we had at home. It

was the matter of me picking her up and sending her home.

“No, but… No matter how I look at it, depending on Shin-kun too much is… wouldn’t it
be too much of a burden for him?”

“I have no problem with it.”

I once again opened ‘Gate’ and went back home.

“Hmm? You’ve already returned?”

Uncle Dis was still there. He still hasn’t gone home. Do some work.

“Your majesty!?”

Ah, Cecil-san was immensely surprised. It was only right. That’s why he should go
home and do some work.

“Ah, I was just about to explain how ‘Gate’ works.”

I ignored Uncle Dis and went back to Sicily’s house.

They were surprised by the magic called Gate, however, since the King of the Kingdom
is on the other side of the gate, it was only right to be surprised.

“That’s how it is; with this magic, Shin can pick and drop her off. There’s no burden,
and above all, it’s safe.”

“To go that far to helping her, thank you very much.”

“Ah, you guys don’t have to stand on ceremony too much. That aside, the two of you,
lend me your ears.”

“Eh? O-okay…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 162 | 279
Grandma whispered something to Sicily’s parents’ ears. The both of them looked at
each other, and then the three started to shake hands. What is it? What did they talk
about? Also, grandpa was left out of the loop.

“…”

D-do your best Grandpa!

I then selected the destination for ‘Gate.’ Because of its sudden materialization, the
members of the household were utterly frightened, so it was then decided that I was
to be given a spare room where I could cast it. And to tell someone that I have arrived,
I would knock from inside the room.

This matter was disclosed to all servants, with a promise that they would absolutely
not reveal it.

“Then, with this, are we done? If so, let’s go back home. Sicily, I’ll come pick you up
tomorrow. And Maria, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Nn. Thank you very much for today. From now onwards, I’ll be in your care.”

“Hmm, it’ll be bad if I also tag along [become a third-wheel].”

“What are you talking about? Since Maria just lives next door, it’s not a problem to
send you too, you know?”

“No, I was thinking it’d be bad if I intrude between you two…”

“Don’t get any strange ideas!”

The atmosphere will become strange!

“Tomorrow, then.”

“Nn, see you tomorrow.”

“See you later!”

With that, we returned home.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 163 | 279
After Shin and the others went to Sicily’s house, Augusto muttered.

“In regards to him being assigned as her bodyguard, no one would dare oppose.”

He saw through grandpa and grandma’s plan.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 164 | 279
The next morning, I immediately went to Sicily’s house to pick her up.

I cast ‘Gate’ in the vacant room prepared for me in Sicily’s house, and when it opened,
Sicily and Maria were already waiting on the other side.

“Good morning. You’re already waiting.”

“Good morning Shin-kun. Because you’re here to pick me up, I cannot afford to make
you wait.”

“Go~od mor~ning*, because I was somehow rather anxious, I got up early.”

[T/N: She said this while yawning.]

It looks like they’re ready to set off immediately. But before that, I have to greet Sicily’s
parents.

I left the room and headed for the dining room to greet the others.

“Good morning, Cecil-san, Irene-san.”

“Oh, good morning, Shin-kun.”

“Ah, good morning, Shin-kun.”

The two people returned the greetings. It looks like Cecil-san’s about to go to work;
unlike the formal wear he was wearing during yesterday’s entrance ceremony, he was
wearing a suit today. A cravat was coiled around his neck, giving him a stylish
appearance, and a cool ambiance.

“Nn? Shin-kun, is there something the matter?”

Ah, I was staring at him too much. I wonder if that was a little rude?

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was thinking you looked very stylish and cool. Are you heading off to
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 165 | 279
work now?”

“Hahaha, thank you. I’ll be heading off to work soon. Also, these clothes were chosen
by my wife; I do not have the ability to dress like this. I don’t really concern myself
with clothing.”

“Oh my, fufufu, thank you for your praise, Shin-kun. Shall I also choose clothing for
Shin-kun?”

“N-no, it’s alright.”

“Ah, you don’t need to be reserved.”

I started talking to Irene-san who was, “fufufu,” laughing.

“Shin-kun! It’s about time we leave! Father, too! You also need to head off to work!”

Sicily came and urged us to quickly get going.

“Ah? Really, Sicily, fufufu.”

“Wh-what is it, mother?”

“Nothing? There’s no problem?”

“Re-really!”

This is the first time I had ever seen this kind of Sicily. As I thought, the expressions
she shows to her family are different. They are more vibrant.

“Shin-kun! Let’s go already!”

“O-okay.”

Sicily took hold of my arm and dragged me out of the dining room.

“Oh, my, ufufu.”

“Sicily has grown up to become an adult…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 166 | 279
While listening to their voices, we walked towards the back room.

Although I don’t really have to open “Gate” at this place, it’s a good spot when taking
our surroundings into consideration. It’s tactless to use magic in a place where people
consume their meals.

When I was about to open the gate, Maria sudden spoke,

“Hey, how long are you guys going to link arms for?”

Now that she mentioned it, I recalled my arm getting grabbed.

“Ah! I’m s-s-s-sorry!”

“Eh? I don’t really mind.”

Or rather, I thought was lucky.

“Ara? Did I say something unnecessary?”

Maria sported a broad grin.

“Ge-geez! Maria!”

“Hehehe, you really are so cute!”

Two girls being playful with each other. It’s a good scene; it really is a good scene!

“Hey, we’re going now.”

” “Yes~” ”

Through the gate, we arrived at my house.

“Oh, Sicily-san, Maria-san, good morning.”

“Morning to both of you.”

“Good morning. Merlin-sama, Melinda-sama.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 167 | 279
“Good morning.”

Here, too, was an exchange of greetings. It looks like we cannot leave for school easily.

“Then, grandpa, grandma, we’re off.”

“Ah, do you best.”

“Listen, okay? Remember not to do anything rash!”

The long awaited classes are finally starting, but I’m restricted from doing anything;
honestly, I don’t really want to agree to it…

“I get it already, grandma.”

Or rather, when these two people came to see us off, the both of them looked like my
genuine grandpa and grandma.

Really, why don’t they just get back together.

Then, for the next 15 minutes, we walked to school on foot. Along the way, I did not
forget to use Search Magic. If there was a rapid increase of magic power, I would
immediately know about it.

In the end, we arrived at the academy without any incident. Although there was
something that was bothering me a little, the two girls who looked nervous exhaled a
sigh of relief when we arrived at the academy.

However, because the opponent is from the same academy, it’s too early to let our
guards down. However, it is still safer inside the academy, since there are professors
and other students around. Considering he has already been warned by Gus twice,
there’s a chance he might not mess with us inside the school premises.

When we arrived at the classroom, most of the students were already there.

“Morning Shin. As expected of you; despite being just admitted, you’re already friendly
with girls.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 168 | 279
“Morning Gus and you’re too noisy! Also, you already know the reason why.”

“Although I already knew, I couldn’t help but tease you.”

“Why you…”

“Good morning Shin-san.”

“Good morning Shin-dono.”

The two who greeted me were his escorts. And as usual, Julius was speaking like a
Samurai.

“Ah, good morning.”

After I greeted everyone else, Alice came barging in.

“I’m here! Did I make it on time!? I’m safe, right?!”

“Although you made it… what do you think will happen to you if you barely make it in
time for the first day of class?”

“Well, you see, because I was looking forward to today’s lesson, I couldn’t fall asleep
last night, and so I accidentally overslept.”

“Are you a kid!?”

In this world, you’re considered as an adult when you reach the age of 15.

“Good morning everyone. Homeroom is starting, so everyone please take your seat.”

After the exchange of dialogue was done, Alfred-sensei arrived. She really was barely
on time.

“Everyone’s already here, so once again, good morning everyone.”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “Good morning.” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

“Now then, I will announce the schedule for today. As I mentioned yesterday, we will
have a tour around the academy this morning. Right after lunch, we’ll have magic

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 169 | 279
practice. I will then guide you to gather around the First Practice Field; you don’t have
to bring anything in particular. Though I said that, everyone here already knows how
to cast extra-dimensional storage space. As expected of S-class. That concludes today’s
agenda. Does anyone have any questions?”

There was no bag on anyone’s desk. This proved that everyone present knew how to
cast extra-dimensional storage space. However, on the way to school this morning,
there were some students who were carrying bags, so I guess that meant that not all
students could cast it. Whether one can use extra-dimensional storage space or not is
one of the indicators for a student to advance to S-class. Or so it seems.

The tour around the academy consists of the two school buildings. One of the buildings
is where all the classrooms are. There are four classes per grade; the freshmen class
is on the third floor, the sophomore class is on the second floor, and the senior class is
on the first floor.

The second building consists of the faculty office, student council room, laboratories,
and club research laboratories.

Regarding the research clubs, well, they seem similar to extra-curricular activities or
so to speak. The study of emission-type magic, “Offensive Magic Research Society;” the
research of producing various magic tools by taking advantage of Enchantment magic,
“Life Improvement Research Society;”the study of body strengthening magic, “Body
Language Research Society,” and so on.

…What’s up with the last one!? It’s the wrong way to live one’s life as a Magician! When
Julius heard it, his eyes started sparkling. As I thought!

“If I did not have the mission of being His Highness’ escort, then by all means, I would
participate in that research group degozaru…”

“What, if you’re concerned about me, then there’s no need; it’s alright if you join it.”

“No, that kind of reasoning won’t do degozaru.”

“This place is the Advanced Magic Academy, you know? The Royal Family has no
authority whatsoever in here. Thus, there is no authority that binds you to me.”

“However…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 170 | 279
“Well, since it’s only inside the academy, it’s alright for you to have your freedom here.”

“Your Highness… I am much obliged…”

Gus was very thoughtful towards Julius. I honestly thought the scene was amazing.

While I was thinking so, I saw Gus grinning.

Ah! This guy, could it be because he thought this escort was bothersome, so he’s trying
to keep himself away? Julius, you have been deceived!

“Gus… You…”

“Hm? What is it Shin, did you also find a research society you wanted to join?”

“No, I didn’t have such thoughts…”

“I see, that’s how it would be. I didn’t think any of the research society would be
satisfactory for you to join. Better yet, how about starting your own research society?”

“O-oh?”

What is he suddenly rattling about? It looks like he’s trying to deceive me.

“Hooo~ the research society which Walford-kun would create; that thought sounds
very interesting.”

Before I was able to press Gus for an answer, Alfred-sensei seconded Gus’ opinion.

“That’s right, sensei. I’m very interested in what kind of research society Shin creates
and the activities involving it.”

“It’s certainly interesting.”

Even the ever-so-quiet Rin, who usually doesn’t participate in discussions, spoke.

“I [atashi] am also interested. If he ever does make one, I want to join!”

“I [watashi] would maybe also join it.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 171 | 279
“I [boku] also want to join, but most likely, all of S-Class would join it.”

“Sensei, how does one create a research society?”

“To start a research society, you have to submit an application form consisting of the
names of five or more members and an advising teacher.”

“If that’s the case, then we must also come up with a proper name for a research
group.”

Everyone suddenly starting talking amongst themselves. What is this? Before I knew
it, it seemed like it had been decided that I will be starting a research society.

“H-hey everyone, wait a minute…”

“If Shin-kun starts his own research society, then it would be unthinkable for me not
to join it, right?”

“Eh? Ah, that’s right?”

Sicily also said such a thing.

“How about this! The name “Heroes Research Society?” We can get Shin-kun to tell us
all about Merlin-sama and Melinda-sama!”

“What the hell is that?!”

“Well, yeah, but there’s already that: researching, documenting, and discussing
everything about them, in addition to investigating how Merlin-sama and Melinda-
sama reached such heights.”

“There is!?”

Seriously!?

“Is that so, that’s too bad.”

“We can decide what kind of society we’ll make after the afternoon classes are done.”

“That’s all good as well. Then, let’s decide at that time.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 172 | 279
“If that’s the case, then I’ll bring an application with me, and we’ll decide then on who
will be joining, okay?”

It’s been decided! Without listening to my opinion whatsoever, it’s been decided!!

“Umm, you guys… Can you guys not decide everything on your own?”

“What is it? As I thought, there’s some other research society you’d rather join?”

“As I thought, “Heroes Research Society”?”

“No… because you see, it sounds unpleasant…”

“Walford, I think it’s a good idea. I believe it’s a good idea for you to create your own
research society, and as for the name, you can change it later on. Also, don’t you think
it’ll be difficult to choose from various other research societies?”

“That is probably how it’ll be…”

“Furthermore, I’ll volunteer myself as your advisor. Also, the whole class will probably
participate as members. With this, there won’t be a problem.”

“That’s right, Shin-kun! Let’s do it!”

“Ha~… I understand.”

From nothing, little by little, it was decided that I will be starting a research group.
How did this happen?

“Fufu, it looks like it’ll be interesting, right? Shin.”

That right! It was this guy who took the conversation towards this direction!

“Gus… Why you…”

“You guys, let’s hurry up and finish the rest of the tour so we can get something to eat.”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “Yes!” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

In the end, I was unable to give Gus a piece of my mind. Gus was laughing really hard.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 173 | 279
Gus…

After looking around the school building, we headed towards the practice fields. In
this academy, there’s a total of three practice fields, and the field I was assigned to
during the exam was the second practice field. Everyone else seemed to have been
assigned to either the first or the third practice field.

Out of the three practice fields, the first practice field has the most robust magic
barrier. It seems like S-Class and senior students mainly use this field.

Finally, we headed to the cafeteria. After going here and there, we arrived just in time
for lunch, and the class dissolved. Although it was free, as it was said before, the menu
was still amazing.

I took a tray and started piling plates filled with food on top of it. In order: meat dish,
fish dish, soup, salad, and several different kinds of bread. Some new students would
eat too much, and it seems like it has been a tradition to see them writhing in pain.

Alice and Julius took part in the tradition.

And finally, it was the much awaited afternoon magic class. Although everyone looked
a little tense, they nevertheless had expressions of anticipation. When Alfred-sensei
arrived, everyone lined up and waited for the class to begin.

“Alright, everyone’s here? Now then, let’s begin your first magic lesson in Advanced
Magic Academy.”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “We look forward to it!” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

“Even though I said that, the first lesson is predetermined; everyone has to show the
magic they used during the entrance examination.”

Suddenly, it felt as though the tension in everyone’s bodies dissipated.

“Alright, then let’s start right away. Since yesterday during the self-introduction, we
went by ascending order of your ranking, we’ll do descending today. So, Rittenheim,
we’ll start with you.”

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“Certainly”

First up is Julius… I’m quite interested in seeing what he’ll do.

“Then, here I go degozaru!”

When he said that, magic began to envelop his body. And then…

“Oooryaaaaaohhhhh! ! ! !”

He literally flew from where he was to the target and used Body Strengthening magic.

“Dooryaaaa! ! ! !”

Concentrating magic power on his fist, he struck the target and broke it with a single
strike.

…I-is it really fine to call this a Magician using magic?

However, it sure had an amazing impact. But to think he did this in order to clear the
examination…

When I looked around, I saw that everyone was dumbfounded. Thor smacked his
forehead and sighed while Gus was holding onto his belly, laughing.

Although Julius’ impact was too excessive, everyone carried on after a while.

As expected of S-Class, everyone destroyed the target. Sicily, who said she specializes
in Healing magic, and Yuri, who specializes in Enchantment magic, also did well.
Everyone is good at controlling magic.

“Well then, last person, Walford.”

“Yes.”

Since he said to use the same magic as the one I used during examination, then it’s
that?

As usual, I produced a pale blue flame.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 175 | 279
“Cha-chantless ! ?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen a blue flame…”

“Beautiful…”

And then I launched the flame bullet.

BAAAaaaaNG! ! !

The flame bullet which destroyed the target, crashed into the magic barrier bestowed
wall and shook the entire practice field. Isn’t this the same as the entrance
examination?

“Am-amazing…”

“So this is… the grandson of the hero…”

“Amazing, I didn’t expect it to this extent…”

Everyone was astonished. Since I was the last person, I might have used more power
than usual.

“Al-alright. With this, everyone has finished. However, not only did I get an idea of your
current abilities, you guys also got to see different kinds of magic. Although all of you
already know this, as long as you don’t have a proper image in your mind, your magic
will not activate. And because the image we have is not always clear, we use chants to
compensate for it. I believe everyone already know the kind of magic they are good at.
But if there’s something you want to learn, I can give you some advice. Well, although
it’s the teacher’s job to give pieces of advice, since you guy finally became classmates,
I think it’s alright to study together and compete with each other.”

I see. Everyone would be participating in a friendly competition. Because we finally

became classmates after much effort, such relationship would be best.

“With that, our first magic class has ended. Though you might think it’s short, it’s only
the first day. From here on out, the lessons will get tougher, so prepare yourselves.”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “Yes!” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 176 | 279
“Although the lesson has ended, there’s still the talk from this morning about starting
a research society. Walford as president is all good, but who will be the members?”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “Me!” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

“I see. The entire first Year S-Class. Well, I guess that’s to be expected. Then, the name
of the research society.”

The situation still continued to progress rapidly without me getting a word in.

“Eh? Julius as well?”

“That’s right degozaru. Since it’s Shin-dono’s research society, I’ll still most likely be
able to thoroughly research Body Strengthening magic degozaru.”

“…Tsk.”

Gus, stop clicking your tongue!

“I just thought of a good name.”

Rin raised hand.

“Ho~ What’s the name?”

“How about “Ultimate Magic Research Society”?”

‘Ultimate Magic Reseach Society’! ! ? ?

Pathetic! It’s pathetic, Rin-san!

However, the reaction was around me was quite the opposite.

“Indeed, ‘Ultimate.’ It certainly might be a perfect fit for Shin.”

“Nn. It seems like if it’s Walford-kun, he’ll be able to use an attack magic to obliterate
everything, or have an absolutely unbreakable defense, or even use transference
magic.”

When it comes to the subject of magic, Rin becomes very talkative.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 177 | 279
Sorry, although I can use ‘Gate,’ I can’t use transference magic.

“It’s great! ‘Ultimate Magic Research Society!’ It sounds extraordinarily awesome!”

“It certainly does sound amazing… It seems like being part of that society will put a lot
of pressure on me…”

Is Maria unexpectedly weak to pressure? However, the name is not…

“It looks like it’s decided. In that case, everyone, write your name in the application
form, and Walford and I will complete the form last.”

In the end, the research society was founded without me being able to voice my
opinion.

There is no ultimate-ness to it…

Around the same time, Shin and the others from the academy were racking their
brains thinking of what to name the research society, the directors, and heads of each
bureau had gathered in the Imperial Palace for a regular meeting.

Every head made their monthly report at this regular monthly meeting. However,
among the heads, the Chief of Military Affairs was making a troubled expression.

“Now then, next is Military Affairs… What’s wrong, Dominic, is there some kind of a
problem?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, as a matter of fact… While I was confirming the state of affairs for
this month, I discovered by chance…”

Dominic Gastolle, Michel’s successor, and the current Chief of Military Affairs. The
Military Affairs bureau consists of the Knight Order and the Magic Division, and there
the Soldier Order under the Knight Order. The General of the Knight Order and the
Grand Master of the Magic Division usually serve as the Chief of Military Affairs in
alternation. This time, it was the General of the Knight Order’s turn to act the director.

This robust General of the Knight Order was making a troubled face. The surrounding
personnel became nervous.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 178 | 279
“Actually, we confirmed that there has been a substantial increase of demons
appearing over the last year.”

“What ! ?”

The unexpected report had caused agitation to the other personnel.

“Wh-what do you mean? I haven’t heard anything about an increase of demon

sightings?”

“Certainly, if reports of increasing demon presence have been made public, it won’t be
strange for the Kingdom to have a mass panic. However, if such stories do come to
light, it won’t be just a rumor…”

Everyone started talking amongst themselves. In this world, demon presence is

something every Kingdom has to deal with. The increasing number of demon presence
is the ultimate bad news. However, there hasn’t been a single rumor about it. With that
said, how should they take in what the Chief of Military Affairs had reported?

“It can’t be helped that you find this unbelievable. We also didn’t notice it. It was too
unexpected that we didn’t know how to react. However, it’s a fact.”

“Dominic, exactly what are you saying?”

“When I asked for this month’s monthly report, the personnel accidentally gave me
the report from last year. Although the personnel was reprimanded for the mistake,
after looking at the report and comparing the numbers from the same month last year
to this year… I noticed the that the difference in numbers was clearly much greater.”

“What did you say?!”

“N-no way! You didn’t notice it for one year?!”

“There should be some kind of daily reports in the Military Affairs! Why didn’t you
notice it sooner!?”

“The daily reports are the cause of this!”

“Wh-what? What do you mean?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 179 | 279
“We always review the daily reports, and that’s why we didn’t find anything
suspicious. Every day, we looked at the daily reports, and… little by little… it really is
just little by little, it increased.”

“Little by little… it increased?”

“Yes. A little more than the day before, the next day is the same, and the day after that
it increased just a little more… A little bit more is within the boundaries of acceptable
margin, however, in reality, it has increased a lot more.”

Dominic explained why the situation wasn’t noticed sooner.

“But, did the person in charge of the subjugations also not take note of the increasing
numbers?”

“When the person in charge of the subjugation was questioned, he didn’t seem to have
noticed it either. Since the increment was minimal, overtime, he also became
accustomed to it as it went on.”

When this report was made, the tense atmosphere began to slowly wane down.

“To sum it up, you’re saying it’s not a situation we can’t handle. If that’s the case, then
there’s no problem.”

“That’s certainly not the case. Although we are able to cope with it now, it is a fact that
the number of demands has increased. Furthermore… despite it being just my
personal opinion, I find this situation very unnatural.”

“Foolishness! How can the number of demons be unnaturally increased!”

“In the end, it’s just my personal opinion. However, if everyone looks at the data, I’m
sure you’ll come to the same conclusion as I have.”

After explaining, an aide began to distribute the data. And when each head looked at
the data, they started to frown.

“Your Majesty, to be honest, this situation is abnormal. It requires immediate

investigation. Could you grant permission to conduct a large-scale investigation?”

“This certainly is a grave situation. We understand. Knight Order, Soldier Order, Magic
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 180 | 279
Division, and also, Demon Hunters’ Association, thoroughly investigate this.”

“By your will!”

“Also, this matter is strictly confidential. Until there’s accurate intelligence, under no
circumstances will this information be revealed.”

“At your command!”*

[T/N: Said by everyone in the meeting.]

Since the situation was only known to the heads of each bureau, an unspeakable
anxiety spread to all of their hearts.

That night, at a certain noble’s mansion.

“Cart! Cart are you there ! ?”

Russell von Ritzburg, the master of the mansion, said with a really loud voice.

“What is it, Father ?”

“It’s not ‘what is it!’ Today I received a summon from His Majesty and the Director of
Finance. I don’t have to tell you the reason, do I?”

While being questioned, Cart clicked his tongue.

“You idiot! What in the world were you thinking! You know there’s a strict regulation
that prohibits you from using your authority as a noble in the three advanced
academies!”

“Thank you for your reminder, Father, but it’s the regulation that’s wrong! We are the
chosen people! It’s unacceptable for us to be treated at the same level as a
commoner!!”

“Cart… you… what on earth are you saying…?”

Russell looked at his son as if he had turned into a whole different person. He could
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 181 | 279
not understand what his son was saying. It was not like his son to saying something
like that.

However, Cart didn’t stop there.

“I am a chosen person! A special human being! And yet, everyone dares to defy and go
against me! Such a thing is unforgivable!!!”

“Cart…”

Russell was convinced. His son had gone insane. But while he was thinking so, Cart
was still talking to himself [monologue].

“That’s right, it’s that guy. Since he had appeared, everything changed for the worse.
The woman I wanted stopped doing what I asked. And also, His Highness… he made
His Highness one of his allies…”

“Carrrtttt! ! !”

THWOK!

Mustering all the strength he could in his body, Russell punched Cart. His hand
reddened since he, who worked at civil service, was not accustomed to hitting anyone.

“That remark cannot be overlooked! Consider that as your punishment! Anyone! Take
Cart to his room! Confine him in his room for a while!!”

The servants who were watching the argument between Russell and Cart, stared at
Cart disapprovingly, and one of the guards who also happened to be looking, took him
to his room.

Russell murmured while clasping the swelling hand he used to his Cart.

“Cart… you… what happened to you…?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 182 | 279
“Cart under house confinement?”

For some reason, right after classes ended, the research society had already been
launched, and I am acting as its president. Today, just like yesterday, I went to pick up
Sicily and Maria, and Gus told us about the situation.

“It seems so. This morning, the school was contacted, saying ‘he’ll be spending some
time at home under confinement and self-reflection.'”

Since the culprit is under house arrest, Sicily does not have to be guarded. I guess she
will feel… relieved by this?

“Hey, there’s something that’s been puzzling me; why does Cart have that sort of
attitude? Everyone knows it is forbidden to act that way inside the Advanced Magic
Academy, right? And even though Gus warned him, there was no improvement on his
behavior. It makes me feel uneasy…”

For someone who puts a lot of weight about being an aristocrat, he blatantly ignored
the warning of the Prince of his own Kingdom; I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

And so, the three of them — Gus, Thor, and Julius — made a complicated expression.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, honestly, we’re puzzled ourselves, too.”

“We [Sessha-tachi] went to the middle school for nobles and wealthy people
degozaru.”

“And Cart also attended that academy.”

“Eh? Is that so?”

This is the first time I’ve heard of it, however, since the three are nobles… or rather,

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 183 | 279
Gus is a Royal. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to attend the academy
for nobles.

“If that’s the case, there’s something I want to know: has Cart’s attitude been that way
since long ago?”

“It is because his attitude was different that we’re confused. Although that guy has
always been confident, it wasn’t to the point where he flaunted his social status.”

“That’s right. Although I come from a Baron house and my social standing is lower
than his, he has never taken such attitude towards me.”

I only know the present Cart. Although I can’t believe it myself, Cart seems to be
different back then. If so, what of the present Cart?

“Speaking of which, Your Highness, if I’m not mistaken, it happened during our third
year in the academy, after we heard that teacher’s words.”

“Ah~… There was him. If I remember correctly, wasn’t he a magic teacher?”

“Yeah. He asked those who could use magic one by one the question, ‘You have a great
aptitude for magic. Won’t you come to my laboratory?'”

“He did do something like that. However, because I kept hearing his words excessively
to the point of being suspicious, I did not accept his invitation in the end.”

“I [Sessha], didn’t get to hear his words at all degozaru…”

…Well, that really can’t be helped, can it…

“And so? What about it?”

“Looking back, I believe Cart went to the teacher’s laboratory.”

“Hmm~? And then?”

“Since he started visiting that laboratory, his magic ability went up considerably. At
that time, he started boasting about his magic ability for a while…”

“He~ was he really such an amazing teacher?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 184 | 279
“Well, he certainly did have some ability. In addition, despite his appearance, he was
quite popular. Even though it was suspicious.”

“His appearance?”

“Yeah, I heard he couldn’t see, and so he wore a bandage in order to conceal both his
eyes. Nevertheless, he was able to behave like a normal person…”

Hmm? What’s so amazing about that?

“So what makes him so well-liked?”

“Why, you ask… he could sense his surrounding through magic. However, magical
ability should be limited to only living organisms. You know how it’s believed to be
that it doesn’t work on inorganic matter? Apparently that teacher is able to use that
exact same magic. Honestly, if it wasn’t for His Highness, even I, myself, would have
wanted to go to the laboratory.”

“It’s because he was too suspicious.”

That’s all Gus has been saying for a while now.

However, how is that related to Cart’s current behavior? Although it certainly seems
he got more confident from that time on…

“Honestly, I don’t know whether or not there’s a relationship between the two, but it’s
just been bothering me.”

“Is that so; just who exactly is that teacher?”

“If I’m not mistaken, you said that he came here from the Empire?”

“The Empire, huh…”

There’s a country bordering right next to the place, Earlshide Kingdom, where I
currently reside, Bluesphere Empire. Apparently, the power and authority of the
aristocrat there seems to be exceedingly strong there, and so a lot of people fled from
the Empire to other Kingdoms to seek refuge. There might also be some people who
defected to this Kingdom.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 185 | 279
“However, I wonder if someone who can use such magic needs to seek refuge.”

“Maybe there’s a special reason? That’s why it’s suspicious.”

In the end, everything was just a speculation, and I understood nothing. The
conversation came to an end the moment Alfred-sensei arrived.

“This afternoon, you guys are supposed to be given a more detailed explanation
regarding the research societies that was mentioned yesterday… But since you guys
have already decided, participate in the ceremony just in case.”

The research society… Eventually, it was decided before I knew it. But wouldn’t this
cause antipathy towards the upperclassmen? Is this really alright?

The class this morning was a lesson about the different countries in this world.

Except for me, everyone who passed middle school in this Kingdom thought it wasn’t
necessary. From the standpoint of everyone who could use magic, the way they
measure the relation between neighboring countries is different.

During this lesson, there was also an explanation of the Bluesphere Empire we were
talking about earlier.

The Bluesphere Empire originally consisted of many small countries. A King of one of
the small countries unified the other small countries one by one, and eventually led to
the founding of the Bluesphere Empire it is today, with the King becoming the
founding Emperor. Within the merged countries, anyone with meritorious service had
been conferred with the title of nobility and was given a territory. As a result, the
upper-nobles of the Empire wielded a large amount of power similar to the capitals of
small countries, and lower nobles were given power similar to cities. Thus, because of
this historical background, they easily conquered their surroundings with military
power. Even until today, the military force still has substantial strength.

However, there are no large-scale wars happening right now. In the past when there
was a war, however, because both parties neglected subjugating demons, a demon
outbreak suddenly occurred, and they had to stop the war.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 186 | 279
Nevertheless, there are rumors that they are still diligently observing their
surroundings for opportunities to prey on them. Although they have enough
manpower to cope with the demons, they are still enlarging their military power. This
thus became the basis of the rumors.

It is such a country, hence the remark of Gus and the others a little while ago.

If a person has a high aptitude for magic, it is unlikely that the Empire will leave the
person alone. However, the fact that he came to the Kingdom… It is not at all unusual
for one to consider it. And such a person is going around calling out to people with
talents as a Magician. Is he plotting something? It’s no wonder Gus found it suspicious.

However, it is not related to Cart’s behavior. Nevertheless, I can still understand if he

is trying to orchestrate revenge against the Empire…

During lesson time, I was thinking about such things.

While Shin and the other were receiving lessons in the academy, a certain person came
to visit the Ritzburg house.

“Oh, isn’t this Schtrom-sensei, it has been a long time.”

“Yes, it has been a while. I believe the last time I was here was before Cart-kun took
the entrance examination for the academy.”

This person is, without a doubt, the topic of Shin and others’ conversation, Oliver
Schtrom, the middle school teacher.

Although he is a middle school teacher, he was begged by Cart to be his tutor in order
for him to pass the Advanced Magic Academy entrance examination. Because of this,
every single person residing in the Ritzburg house knows his face, including the
gatekeeper.

As for his appearance, it is exactly how Thor and the other had described it; his pair
of eyes are covered with a bandage. The portion not concealed by the bandage starts
from the long and straight bridge of his nose, and his face is small and thin, giving him
a look of a considerably good-looking young man.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 187 | 279
“And so… Schtrom-sensei, what brings you here?”

“Well, I heard through word of mouth that Cart-kun has been placed under house
confinement. Since I used to be his teacher, I was worried about him.”

He conveyed that as someone who used to be his teacher, it was normal for him to
worry about his students.

“Is that how it is… As for how in the world Cart-sama ended up this way… Even I, my
humble self, is baffled.”

“He idolized me when I was his teacher. I thought maybe if it’s me, I could get him to
talk and open up…”

“Is that so… Right now, the Master is currently not around, but the Madam is. Please
wait for a little while I ask for permission.”

“I understand.”

When the gatekeeper finished talking, he ran inside the mansion. When he came back,
he was accompanied by an elder lady.

“Ah, Schtrom-sensei! Please, do come in!”

“It’s been a while, Lady Ritzburg. How has Cart-kun been doing?”

When she was asked that question, Lady Ritzburg, in other words, Cart’s mother burst
into tears.

“I… Even I don’t know what’s happening anymore! To say those words to the Royal
Family whom we swore our allegiance to…”

From there, she did not speak another word. Seeing how Lady Ritzburg was currently
acting, Oliver started talking to her.

“Is that so… Exactly how in the world did it happen; it looks like there’s a need to get
the whole story straightened out.”

“Sensei… Only sensei is reliable! My husband only knows how to punish Cart!
Somehow! Please somehow help restore his sanity!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 188 | 279
“I understand. I will do it to the best of my abilities.”

And so, Oliver entered the Ritzburg’s house and made his way toward Cart’s room.

“It’s me, Cart. It’s Schtrom. Is it okay if I enter?”

However, there was no reply.

“Lady Ritzburg, is it alright?”

“Yes, I leave him in your care.”

After receiving permission, Oliver entered Cart’s room and immediately placed a
soundproof barrier around the room.

“What’s wrong Cart? You look like you’re in a pretty pitiable-looking state.”

To prevent Cart from escaping his room, both his hands and feet were bound up tightly.
There is no magic tool in this world with the ability to seal one’s magical power. Magic
power has a huge influence on the life of humans. If their magic powers are sealed, it
can only lead to death.

It isn’t easy to cast magic without chanting. It is even more so when the person in
question has just entered the Advanced Magic Academy. Even if he is able to cast
magic, the guard right outside his room would immediately sense it and would break
his concentration. Because of this, the state of his hands and feet were left tied up.

“Schtrom-sensei…”

“What did I tell you? Didn’t I tell you recently that you are a special human being?”

“Yes…”

“Your abilities, your social status, everything about you is special. Didn’t I tell you that
there’s nothing you can’t get your hands on?”

“But… I couldn’t get my hands on that woman… because that guy… because that guy
got in the way…”

“Hmmm, is that so. That person is a nuisance to you?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 189 | 279
After he finished talking, he started to cast magic. However, the guards right outside
the room did not sense it. When Oliver created a soundproof barrier, he also created a
barrier that prevents any magic from getting out.

“Listen to me, okay? Make the person who is a nuisance to you regret it. Because you
are…”

After some time, Oliver went out of the room.

“Sensei! How is he?!”

“Nn, he’s not doing so well… he’s in a state of losing body and state of mind. We can
only wait for him to recover over time…”

“N-no way! It’s because that person did such a thing! Because my husband punished
Cart!”

“Of course, I also don’t think this is a good thing. Though I say this, it’s also because
he’s originally my cute student. I will go and try to give Count Ritzburg some advice.
Because he’s in a state of near insanity, it would not be beneficial for the Count to
punish him.”

“Tha—… thank you very much sensei!”

“Then, if you’ll please excuse me, I’ll be leaving because I still have classes in the
academy.”

Meanwhile, after Oliver left the Ritzburg house.

“Fufufu, Cart-kun, do your best in performing for me, okay?”

Oliver walked away while smiling. He then looked up at the room where Cart was in.

After the morning class was over, everyone went to eat lunch. Since S-Class consists of
only 10 students, everyone usually eats together. Today as well, the entire S-Class
occupied one table.

“That reminds me, Shin. I didn’t get to ask you about it this morning, but what will you
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 190 | 279
do about escorting her to school and back?”

“What do you mean what will I do?”

“I mean, hasn’t Cart been placed under house arrest? With that, hasn’t the danger
being in school or walking in town been eliminated?”

“Well, that’s about right.”

“In that case, isn’t it alright if you don’t pick her up anymore?”

“That’s right. Maybe there’s no need to be a bodyguard.”

“Eh… ah, that’s right… you’re a… bodyguard…”

“But even if I’m not a bodyguard, it doesn’t mean we can’t go to school together, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Since our house is in the same direction, isn’t it okay if we still continue to commute
to school together?”

“I-it’s perfectly alright! Th-that’s right, our house is in the same direction, so it’s not
strange for us to commute to school together!”

Sicily suddenly stood up and shouted. You’re standing out, you’re really standing out,
Sicily.

“Ah… I-I’m sorry!”

“Jeez, you’re getting too excited, Sicily.”

“Y-you’re wrong.”

“I guess Maria also wants to go to school together?”

“Of course! I originally made plans to go to school together with Sicily. Or do you find
me a bother?”

“No? Not particularly.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 191 | 279
“Th-th-th-that’s right! Wh-what in the world are you saying!?”

“You’re being too energetic, Claude.”

Just when I was thinking that it was quite unusual for Gus to join in on the
conversation, he was grinning broadly.

“No. As expected of you, Shin.”

“Ah? It was that direction?”

“That might be how it is. In front of everyone, you said, ‘Go together with me.’ No, no,
it’s not something I can even mimic.”

“I didn’t say anything like that, did I?!”

“Together…”

“Sicily has gotten hung up on such a strange word!”

“Well, joking aside, I think it’s a good thing you guys are going to school together.
Claude and, also Meshina, are considered as beautiful girls. So there might be some
nefarious fellow who would try to bother them.”

“Don’t tell a joke in a place like this…”

Well, they are beautiful girls after all, so there might be a chance that the same event
during the time we first met would happen again.

“By the way Shin, you said you were using some kind of “Search Magic” while on the
move? What is it exactly?”

“Hmm? What is it you ask, it’s a way for me to immediately detect any malicious
intent?”

“Malicious intent?”

“Shin-dono, what in the world could you ever mean by that? To be able to grasp
malicious intent.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 192 | 279
“It means exactly as it sounded like. In particular, because the Imperial Capital is
populous, there are many people who are indifferent to each other. You could say that
amongst those people, you can immediately detect if there are malicious intent
coming from them.”

“No, I still don’t understand the meaning of malicious intent.”

Hmm? He doesn’t understand what malicious intent is? Ah… so that’s how it is.

“Thor, do you have any experience in hunting a demon?”

“There’s no way I’d have any experience. I have recently just graduated from being a
middle school student, you know?”

“You can say that the magical power of demons is, how to explain, ominous, or feels
unpleasant, and basically unlike the usual magic power. Hostility? Malicious intent?
Even though it is not directed at them, normal humans can still feel it. No matter how
big or crowded or secure the capital is, you can still sometimes feel it?”

“The magical powers of demons, you say…”

“Does Walford-kun have any experience in hunting a demon?”

“Yes, I do.”

“By the way… how old were you when you had your first experience in hunting a
demon?”

“Ten years old.”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “Ten years old ! ?” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

“It was a bear about three-something meters in height.”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “Bear ! ?” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

“Because it’s huge arms were a bother, I cut both of them off, and then defeated it by
slicing its neck.”

” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “… …” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 193 | 279
When I told the story of my first demon hunt, everyone ended up being stunned.

Hmm? Did I say something wrong? Which on is it? About the bear? Or about being ten
years old?

“Haaa~ And this really amazing person ended up being your bodyguard.”

“It’s very reassuring.”

Maria felt somewhat amazed while Sicily kept smiling until the end. Which part of it
was Maria astonished about?

“Well then, isn’t it about time we go?”

“Whoops, it’s that time already?”

While I said those words, I looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost the end of
lunch, and there were hardly any students left in the cafeteria.

“What a waste of time.”

“Yuri-dono, please don’t say something like that. If we don’t participate, there’ll be
animosity directed towards us degozaru.”

I’m afraid of the animosity that’ll come from the upperclassmen.

Since we have already decided on which research society to join, we will only be
sightseeing the other research societies during the information session. The session
will be held at the place the entrance ceremony was conducted. The fastest way to get
there from the cafeteria was to go across the ground between the two. And so, while
we were crossing the ground…

Shudder!

When I felt a strange presence, I expanded the search area of my Search Magic.

This is, no way! There’s a malicious intent directed towards this way!?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 194 | 279
Where is it!?

And when I surveyed the surrounding areas of the ground…

At the very edge of the ground, I found Cart looking this way.

What is that guy doing here!? He should currently be under house arrest! Can he really
escape that easily!?

When Cart seemed to have finished a chant, my body became stiff at the idea.

“Sicily! Gus! Use your magic powers!!!”

Gus, Sicily, and everybody else became aware of how abnormal my voice sounded. Not
even in their wildest dreams would they have ever thought about being attacked
inside the academy. Everyone had become stiff.

“DAMMIT!!”

Cart fired off his magic. I went and stood in front of everyone in order shield them.

Will I make it in time? With the exception of Sicily and Gus, the others are not wearing
that special uniform!!

“GODDAMMITTTTttttt ! ! !”

“KYAaaaaaaaa ! ! !”

Then, the magic landed.

KABOooOOOOOoOOM ! ! !

While I… had stretched out my hand and placed a magic barrier in front of everyone
else.

UOooh ! That was CLOOooOOose CAAAaaaaLLLlll ! !

For the record, because it was an emergency, I used magic without having a proper
image of it!

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 195 | 279
Although I was somehow able to protect us, because the image was imperfect, I wasn’t
able to completely fend off the magic and suffered burns on my hands. Other than the
body parts covered by my uniform, nothing else is protected.

“Shin-kun ! That…!”

“Ah, I’m okay, I’m okay. How about you guys over there?”

“It’s all thanks to Shin-kun protecting everyone…”

Everyone behind me seems to be safe.

The Auto Heal enchantment on the uniform activated, and the burns on my hands
started to heal.

“…The burns… are healing…”

Someone from behind murmured, but that’s not what’s important right now.

“Is that… Cart over there?”

“Why ! ? Shouldn’t he be under house arrest ! ?”

Someone asked that question. Even I want to know the answer. That aside, it’s a fact
that that guy fired an offensive magic towards us. That is a more serious problem.

“Gus, like this, is it already no use?”

“That’s right. Up until now, it has only been mis-attempts… But this time, it’s clearly
an attempted murder. It can’t possibly be overlooked.”

When I was talking to Gus about what to do with Cart, Cart’s appearance became
strange.

“YOU BASTARD… BASTARD BASTARD BASTARD BASTARD BASTARD BASTARD

BASTARD BASTARD BAAAAASTAAAAAAAARDDDddd ! ! ! !”

He let out a scream as if he had gone insane, and he began to clad himself with an
extraordinary amount of magic power.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 196 | 279
“Hey, Gus.”

“What is it?”

“Umm, do you think he can be brought under control?”

“…I don’t think so.”

“…Isn’t this bad?”

“…It’s bad.”

With that, I took the Vibration Sword out from the extra-dimensional storage space,
rushed out towards Cart, and said,

“Gus ! Take everyone away from here! This is going to get really bad!!”

“Tch! I understand!”

The creature born from the result of a living organism having their magic power run
out of control is…

With the Vibration Sword on hand, I launched myself towards Cart. However, I was
blown away midway because of the release of an enormous magic power.

“Shin-kun ! !”

I heard Sicily shouting, but I didn’t have the time to pay attention.

While in mid-air, I regained control of my stance and landed on the ground. Then, I
turned my focus towards Cart…

“…Are you serious…”

Cart stood there while releasing ominous magic power, and his eyes had turned into a
deep shade of red in color.

“He has… turned into a devil!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 197 | 279
In the past, there had been no cases of a human changing into a devil.

Demonization had only occurred to animals in the wild. The ones who couldn’t control
their magic power turned into demons, and everyone had thought that we humans
were a special existence.

That’s why when a human turned into a devil several decades ago, people were
shocked.

Humans were of no exception.

Everyone received an incredible shock that humans could also become devils. And
because of the threat that they themselves could turn into devils, they became
tremendously desperate.

That ominous magical power, to say nothing of an excellent Magician who perceived
the magical power, planted fear into the ordinary people.

It had overflowing magic power, uses no chants, had no restrictions, and wildly
rampaged about.

Although Earlshide Kingdom’s Army had used all of its military strength to subjugate
the devil, the only result was an increased amount of victims.

In the end, the ones that were able to subjugate him were Magi Merlin and his partner,
Melinda, who then became known as Heroes.

Because of that event, these two people were respected as Heroes even until now.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 198 | 279
In front of my eyes was Cart, who had turned into a devil.

He was clad in an ominous magical power, a peculiar characteristic of demons. What

had been the white portion of his eyes had turned deep red, and he stood still in place
while gazing at empty space.

This scene was viewed by everyone who was in close proximity, and those who had
never seen a devil before were completely flabbergasted. Well, of course it’s the first
time they’d sighted a devil, since it was an extremely rare case.

Er, this is not the time to leisurely think about such things!

“Run away everyone!! That guy turned into a goddamn devil! You’ll only become
collateral damage if you continue to stay here!!”

Those words were able to return the students to their senses.

“U-uwwwaaaaahhh!! Devil! Did he just say a Devil!?”

“We have to run away ! We have to run away ! We have to run away ! We have to run
away!”

“He-he, someone please help meeee!!”

“KYAAAaaaaa!!”

While trying to escape, everyone was screaming in confusion.

That will be fine. If everyone who escapes starts to spread the word, the information
will be transmitted.

The problem is what to do with that guy…

“Gus, you should escape as well.”

“Shin, you… No way!?”

“Aah, I’ll somehow try to stop him.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 199 | 279
“Don’t be stupid! You should escape too!!”

Although Gus yelled at me, I didn’t hear it.

“That guy will probably not stop here, and as a devil, he might attack the Royal Capital.
And thus, I cannot leave him alone.”

“Then we will stay as well!!”

“As people who have never hunted a single demon before, what kind of idiotic things
are you saying!!”

Although I feel regretful towards Gus, I need him to evacuate.

“Shin… are we… a hindrance?”

“… Yeah, you guys are a hindrance.”

“…Is that so…”

Gus bit his tightened lips, and turned around.

“Everyone, let’s escape from here!”

“No way! How can we leave Shin-kun alone in this place!!”

“It’ll be fine, just focus on escaping! Even if we stay here, we’ll only be a burden!”

“But!”

“Meshina! Don’t let go of Claude even if you have to drag her along with you!!”

“Ye-yes!!”

“Nooo! Shin-kun! Shin-kun!!”

Gus and the others have finally evacuated. With this, at last…

“It’s about time I take action. Cart.”

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After turning into devil, Cart, who had been standing still and staring at empty space,
finally looked my way…

“GOWAAAaaaaah !!!!!”

Once he discharged his magic, he headed towards me.

While Cart was on his way to where I was, I bombarded him with Fire Bullets.

When the Fire Bullets hit Cart, without confirming the outcome I circled around Cart’s
back, drew the Vibration Sword, and slashed horizontally. I was so glad I was wearing
my Jet Boots.

SLASH!

There was some resistance! Where was it? Where did I cut him?

When I moved away slightly, I saw that Cart had taken damage from the Fire Bullets
all over his body, and his left arm appeared to have been severed from above his elbow.

“GYAAAaaaa!! WALFORD! YOU BASTARD! YOU BASSSSTAAARRRDdddddd!!!”

At this time, I felt a sense of discomfort.

Walford? He called out my name? Is there a part of his consciousness left in him?

“I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL DEFINITELY KILL YOU ! WALFORDddd!!”

At the same time he was yelling, he produced a cluster of Fireballs.

“Tsk!”

In order to obstruct the Fireballs, I created a magic barrier.

“UWaaahh, HOT!”

Dammit! Even if the barrier can protect against magic, it doesn’t prevent the heat. My
face is burning!

“This—!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 201 | 279
Because it was excessively hot, I created a blade made out of water.

SLASH, SLASH, SLASH!!

The water blade started slashing towards Cart.

“Why you… How dare You! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU! HOW
DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU!”

I rushed towards Cart with both the Vibration Sword and the Water Blade at hand.
Then, I sliced at Cart’s remaining right arm.

“This is…”

Is this the end of it?

That’s what I thought after looking at Cart’s bloody appearance.

Certainly, compared to the demonized animals I’ve slayed before, rather than a wolf
or a bear, he is formidable and can be compared to either a lion or a tiger. However…

KABOOOooOOOOOM!!!

Cart used explosion magic on himself. His wounded right arm was suddenly torn off,
and exploded into a thousand pieces.

“As I thought… this guy, he isn’t that much of a big deal, is he?”

While fighting Cart who had turned into a devil, I felt uneasy.

He’s way too weak.

I had heard that when the human turned into a devil in the past, he had ruined a
country. However, this guy, although he’s strong, doesn’t give the feeling of despair.

In the first place, was it really that easy for a human to turn into a devil?

It gives an uncomfortable feeling.

There are so many things that feel too out of place in this incident. What the hell is

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 202 | 279
going on?

“AAAAaaaAAAAAAaaahhHHHHHHH!!!”

Tsk! This is bad! His magic power increased even further!!

Magic power began to swirl around Cart. This is… is he going to self- destruct!?

If he accidentally discharges such great magic power, this whole area will be blown
away!!

If I don’t stop him now… it’ll be bad!

“CAAAaaaRRRRrrrrTTT !!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 203 | 279
I rushed towards Cart while brandishing the Vibration Sword, aiming towards the
nape of his neck.

SLASH!

After I swung the Vibration Sword, I put some distance between us in preparation for
any accidental discharge.

I looked at Cart who appeared to have stopped moving, and…

Wobble.

Cart’s head fell… and his body also fell soon after.

Thud.

I confirmed that the swelling magic power had dispersed, and Cart’s body had stopped
moving…

“Phewwww…”

I let out a big sigh. Then I examined Cart, who had become a corpse.

Now that I thought about it, this was the first time I had killed a person… Even though
he was a person that had turned into a devil… there was no feeling of guilt…

I wonder if it was because of that? Because I’ve regularly hunted animals throughout
the forest? I wonder if I have become accustomed to taking lives?

Because of that thought, I looked at Cart’s corpse with complicated feelings…

“Shin-kun!!!”

Sicily came jumping towards me.

“Hey! Sicily! Did you not evacuate with everyone!?”

“Shin-kun! Are you alright!? Are you injured anymore!?”

Sicily came and asked me while touching my body here and there.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 205 | 279
Gus and the others also showed up, and so I asked Gus.

“You guys… did you guys not evacuate?”

“Ye-yeah… But just as we were about to exit the ground, we suddenly heard this
amazing sound… so we turned around…”

Then, he cut off his words and looked at Cart.

“…It was our first time seeing a devil… and we watched in astonishment as you
overwhelmed him… and then he was taken down just like that…”

When I looked around, I saw that everyone had a complicated expression.

“Nevertheless… I still find it unbelievable, even until now. Since Cart had turned into
a devil, I thought it was already hopeless…”

“Even I, myself, had already prepared for my death.”

“Walford-kun was really amazing.”

“That’s right! What was that? Even though your magic talent is tremendous, you were
also able to cut the devil’s arm with a sword!”

“It was a spectacular display of swordsmanship degozaru. In this case, wouldn’t he

also qualify in the Knight Military Training Academy as their top student dezogaru?”

“That’s right! Even I have never seen my Father nor my older brother display such
beautiful swordsmanship.”

“Walford-kun, as expected, is an amazing person?”

It looked like the tension had evaporated. Everyone started speaking unanimously.
Meanwhile, only Gus remained silent.

“Gus, what’s wrong?”

“Hmm? No, nothing. I was just thinking that it’ll be problematic from now on.”

“What do you mean?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 206 | 279
“You’re not self-conscious, are you? A devil has appeared, you know?”

“Ah… That’s right.”

“This is the second time in history a devil has appeared. This catastrophe alone will
shake the entire country. Moreover… this easily…”

While Gus was in the middle of his explanation, Knights, Soldiers, and Magicians all
gathered, and summoned the students.

“Prince Augusto!! Are you injured in any way!?”

“We have received reports that a devil has appeared! Where is the devil!?”

“We will fight against the devil even if it costs us our lives! Where has the devil gone
to!?”

“Ah, he’s lying defeated over there.”

“He’s been defeated?”

And then, they looked at the place where Gus was pointing at.

There lay Cart’s body, whose head had been decapitated.

“You don’t mean… You don’t mean to say that you’ve already subjugated the devil!?”

“Ah, it wasn’t me who subjugated it.”

He said that and turned to look at me.

“It was subjugated by a student of this Magic Academy!?”

“How should I explain this; his name is Shin Walford. The grandson of the Hero, Merlin
Walford, who subjugated the devil back then?”

“Ma-Magi Merlin-sama’s honorable grandson!?”

Honorable grandson, you say. While they were having this sort of conversation,
students had come and gathered to see the state of affairs.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 207 | 279
You guys, don’t gather in such a dangerous place! Just because the Military Personnels
have arrived, don’t be so lax, unconscious of passing crisis, and come see the situation!

“He-hey! That thing that’s lying over there, isn’t it a devil?”

“Eh? There’s no way!?”

“That devil has already been subjugated!!”

“What? What has happened?”

Everyone started to talk unanimously without any indignation. And then, they looked
at the Military Personnels, Gus, and the other students.

“Everyone, there’s no need to worry!! The grandson of Magi Merlin, Shin Walford, has
subjugated the devil!!”

A person conveyed to everyone with a loud voice. The vicinity fell silent momentarily.
And then…

“UWOOOOOOOOOOH !!!!” [Said by everyone in the area.]

Cheers suddenly exploded.

“Seriously!? Are you really serious!!”

“Amazing! As expected of Magi-sama’s grandson!!”

“Hero!! It’s the appearance of a new hero!!”

“Magi-sama’s grandson! Shin Walford!!!”

“Shin!” “Shin!” “Shin!” [Everyone chanting.]

A “Shin” call occurred.

Uwaaa! Please stop it! It’s embarrassing to have my name chanted out so loudly!!

I want to run away, but since there are Knights and Magicians all around, I would have
to bypass them, so even if I want to run away, I can’t.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 208 | 279
“Well done! You did very well!!”

“Really, the grandson of the Hero, also turned out to be a Hero!”

“Magnificent! You are really magnificent, Shin-kun !!”

Really, everyone, please stop it! Although a commotion will inevitably happen, this
kind of fuss is too much considering the level of the subjugated devil!

“As expected, this kind of thing would happen.”

So this was what Gus was trying to explain earlier! However, I didn’t imagine that it
would cause this extensive of a commotion.

I felt a sense of discomfort during this sudden uproar. However, because of the
excitement that came after the subjugation of the devil, I couldn’t attune myself to the
environment. So while I was watching everyone abuzz, I searched for the source of the
discomfort.

In the end, because of the commotion, the Research Society information session was
cancelled, and all the students were asked to return to their respective classrooms.

“Shin-kun, is there something wrong?”

This question was asked by Sicily.

“Certainly, you’ve been making a strange face since earlier, Shin.”

“Well… from the beginning of the uproar, and even until the end, I couldn’t shake of
this uncomfortable feeling.”

“Uncomfortable feeling?”

“Yeah. I’ll continue the explanation once we return to the classroom.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 209 | 279
When we returned to the classroom, Alfred-sensei was there to greet us.

“Oh! You guys! I was worried about you all! Especially Walford, are you injured
anywhere!?”

“Yes. We’re all okay.”

“Is that so… I’m relieved…”

He was genuinely worried about us. He’s a good teacher, I can tell that he’s honestly
worried about us.

“Rather than that, Shin, what were you talking about earlier? Although I also felt
uneasy with the situation regarding Cart, what do you mean ‘even until the end?'”

That’s right, I should explain it to them.

“First of all, I think everyone agrees that Cart’s actions and behavior felt out of place.
Brandishing the authority of an aristocrat isn’t just forbidden here, it’s prohibited in
all of the three Advanced Academies, and this is something everyone who lives in this
Kingdom knows. Nevertheless, the way Cart spoke and his actions, flaunted his social
status as a noble. And although it was just an attempt, if it wasn’t for my opposition, I
have no doubt that he would have taken more actions against Sicily.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“In addition, because of his behavior, Gus had given him two warnings. Usually,
wouldn’t someone who paraded being an aristocrat have equal pride in his social
standing as a noble, and would think that the power of an aristocrat is absolute? And
yet, why did he not listen to Gus, who is someone at the top of the ladder of all
aristocrats?”

Everyone turned to look at Gus. Gus just shrugged his shoulders.

“This is what everyone should have felt was strange in the past. Now, this is what felt
out of place today.”

I could see that everyone had understood thus far, and waited for me to continue my
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 210 | 279
explanation with bated breath.

“First of all, why did Cart appear at that place? Wasn’t he placed under house arrest?
Moreover, he is someone from the House of Ritzburg. How did he manage to get out of
there so easily?”

“I was also thinking about that.”

“At that time, because I was thinking ‘he can’t possibly he here,’ I didn’t manage to act
in time.”

“And… there’s also that issue of him turning into a devil…”

I said while glancing at everyone.

“Is it really that easy for a person to turn into a devil?”

Everyone seems to be mystified. Alfred-sensei had his eyes wide open.

“Certainly… It certainly is bizarre!”

Alfred-sensei seems to have noticed as well.

“Eh… What does this mean?”

“Regarding the human who turned into a devil in the past, I heard he was a high-
ranking Magician who aimed to be at the height of magic and had trained for many
years. According to the reports, while he was trying to perform a magic spell with
ultra-high difficulty, he failed and turned into a devil.”

After I explained up until this point, everyone also seemed to have noticed.

“As for Ritzburg, he was someone who had just entered the Advanced Magic Academy.
In this case, even if he failed to control his magic power, it would only be enough to
cause an accident of some sort. I have never heard of anyone turning into a devil this
way.”

“I guess so. If turning into a devil is caused by the failure of people being unable to
control their magic powers… then there would already be a lot of devils by now.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 211 | 279
“That is really strange.”

“It is as you say. If it’s just that amount of magic power, it is seen quite often. I’ve even
experienced it myself.”

“Hey, Rin, that’s very dangerous! You have to take care because in case an accidental
discharge of magic happens, your surroundings will also be blown away.”

“Nn, I’ll be careful in the future.”

Ah… Good grief.

“And so, everyone now knows how someone in the past had turned into a devil thanks
to our review of the reported case. Up until now, there hasn’t been any reported cases
of someone else turning into a devil. Then, why was it so easy for someone to turn into
a devil this time around?”

“Why is it, degozaru?”

“We can’t know something like that for sure.”

“Tsk! No way!”

Gus seemed to have thought of something.

“Wh-what is it, Your Highness?”

“N-no way… It can’t be possible…”

“Gus. I think you’re probably thinking of the same thing as I am.”

“Such a thing, impossible!”

“I think that there’s a possibility… to do it artificially.”

“Impossible!! Are you saying that there’s a way to create a devil artificially!?”

Alfred-sensei cried out. Certainly, one would think so, but…

“Well, right now I’m only speaking hypothetically, but I don’t know if it’s possible for

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 212 | 279
sure. However, the possibility is not zero. And after actually fighting against it, I
thought of the possibility all the more.”

“After fighting it?”

“My grandpa has told me stories of how he had subjugated the devil many, many
times.”

“To hear how Magi-sama subjugated the devil from his own mouth…”

“I’m so jeaaaloooouuuusss!”

The reaction of everyone in the room was strange.

“No, that’s not what I meant to say… I’m talking about the stories of the one who
subjugated the devil and how he did it. He said when a person turns into a devil, it is
completely devoid of any reasoning. It will no longer speak any words, and simply
howl. However, when Cart turned into a devil, he was able to speak.”

“Then that means… he didn’t exactly turn into a devil?”

“No, he definitely turned into a devil. His eyes turned red, he had ominous magic
power, and his actions were violent; he had all the common characteristics of a devil.”

Everyone listening held their breaths and waited for me to continue my explanation.

“After actually fighting him, I found him to be way too weak, and thought it was way
too different from the story I’ve been hearing from grandpa. I then speculated: ‘Is this
the same kind of devil grandpa fought against?’ There was something distinct about
it.”

“To say the devil was too weak…”

“No… I thought it was pretty strong enough…”

“To be honest, in terms of strength, it was only stronger than a demonized lion or
tiger.”

“A tiger or a lion, you say…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 213 | 279
“I thought it was pretty much a hopeless situation…”

That would be the case for students, however, it’s different for the Knights Order and
Magician Division. While I was thinking that, I turned to look at Alfred-sensei…

“A lion… I’ve once encountered one in the past, and at the time… I thought I was going
to die… that it was the end of me… That very same thought circled my mind over and
over again. I still occasionally dream about it even until now.”

Huh? It was a story of his level of trauma?

“Bu-but, even so, it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to subdue it, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“In the past, the devil almost destroyed a whole country. In actuality, cities and villages
were destroyed. Can demonized tigers and lions do the same thing?”

“No… no matter how you look at it, they won’t be able to do that much.”

“He easily turned into a devil, he was too weak, and he still had some degree of
consciousness. When taking those facts into account…”

Everyone was waiting for what I was going to say.

“I… thought there may be some possibility that Cart’s body was used in a human
experiment.”

“Human experiment!?”

“As I thought… Artificially… made?”

“Up to this point, it’s just a conjecture. However, the possibility is high.”

“I see… So this is why Shin was making a complicated expression, and this isn’t
something we can feel happy about.”

Right now, it’s just a speculation. However, if this is true… there’s a malicious
mastermind behind it. I know absolutely nothing about who it is, and for what reasons.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 214 | 279
Everyone probably felt it as well. They all seemed to have anxious expressions.

On a rooftop of a building a slight distance from the Advanced Magic Academy, there
was a person examining the institute. It was Cart’s former tutor, Oliver Schtrom.

“Hmm, Cart did indeed turn into a devil. However, because his actual magic ability was
low to begin with, his level was only up to that degree. Well, since the experience was
a success, I guess it’s fine.”

He said so and smiled slightly.

“Even so, that’s Walford-kun, huh. It’d be best if he doesn’t become an obstructive
existence to me.”

After he muttered, he disappeared from that place.

There wasn’t anybody who noticed his presence.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 215 | 279
A devil had appeared and it had been subjugated. This event was immediately
reported to the Royal Castle. Well, since Military Personnel were there, they had
probably reported immediately. When I arrived home, an envoy from the Royal Castle
came over.

“Welcome home Shin-sama, Prince Augusto, Julius-sama, Thor-sama, Sicily-sama, and

Maria-sama.”

“I’m home, Alex-san.”

“Shin-sama, the envoy from the Royal Palace has arrived.”

“An envoy from the Royal Palace?”

“It would seem so. Because a second devil had suddenly appeared, that event alone
has caused a commotion in the Royal Castle. And since someone has subjugated it,
they cannot afford to not reward the subjugator.

“Haaa… It looks like it’s going to be a troublesome conversation…”

“What are you saying, Shin-sama! Or rather, it’s only natural!”

“Alex-san?”

“When we heard Shin-sama had subjugated the devil, we were very worried, but at
the same time, we felt really proud! It is only natural for you to be commended!”

Another gatekeeper-san kept nodding his head eagerly in agreement.

“I-Is that so…”

Leaving the excited Alex-san behind, I entered the house. Upon entering the house, I
saw the envoy from the Royal Palace, and Uncle Dis was also there.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 216 | 279
No, what are you doing? Uncle Dis. The envoy was standing upright in attention.

“Why is Uncle Dis also here? Can’t you see that you’re petrifying the envoy?”

“Hmm, about my presence, I thought it was necessary for me to personally talk to Shin-
kun, Merlin-dono, and Melinda-shi face to face.”

“Why’s that?”

“Before that… hey, you, envoy.”

“Ye-yes! Shin Walford-dono! A devil appeared, which is considered as a national crisis,

and despite the danger to your own life, you nevertheless went to subjugate it!
Therefore, in the name of Earlshide Kingdom, we hereby confer to you the medal of
the “First Order” to express our gratitude. Hence, Shin Walford-dono, we would like
you to attend the investiture ceremony!

He said it all under one breath. The moment the medal was mentioned… grandpa and
grandma’s expression, and the atmosphere around them, changed.

“Diseum… didn’t you say it before? That you weren’t going to use Shin for political
reasons. And yet, what’s with this treatment?”

“I also heard you say it… What does this mean?”

Grandpa and grandma are scary. Everyone held their breaths at the never-before-felt
tense atmosphere.

“I came here today because I thought you might ask that.”

Uncle Dis began to explain the reason why he was here.

“This time, a devil had appeared after several dozens of years. In the past, when a devil
had suddenly appeared, Earlshide Kingdom was on the verge of its downfall. The
threat that had accompanied it is something the people in this Kingdom will never
forget. And that threat has once again appeared. This circumstance has already
reached the ears of many people. And we’ve also conveyed that it was immediately
subdued. In this Kingdom, the appearance and the subjugation of a devil is a situation
that cannot be kept secret.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 217 | 279
“That is something I already knew about. What I want to know is the meaning of
conferring a medal.”

“That is, Merlin-dono, Melinda-dono, when the two of you subdued the devil back
then, you were awarded a medal, so we cannot afford to not give an award for the same
achievement.”

“Hmm…”

“Certainly, it is as you have said…”

I see, when one looks at it, I have accomplished the same thing as grandpa and
grandma. That’s why it would be strange if I wasn’t awarded the same medal as
grandpa and grandma. Well, I understand that I’m being awarded a medal for the same
achievement, however…

“Naturally, there will be some people who would try to use him for political reasons,
but I will try to prevent it to the utmost of my abilities. If it pleases you, we could
announce it during the ceremony. Therefore, would you please grant my selfish
request? Not for my sake, but for the sake of the people in this Kingdom, please grant
me this favor!”

After he said that, he bowed his head deeply.

“Y-your Majesty!”

“Father…”

The envoy and Gus were both surprised. I guess it was only natural. Their almighty
King was bowing deeply towards an elderly man, despite the latter being a Hero.
There’s no one who would not be surprised.

“Merlin-dono, Melinda-dono. I would also like to ask this of you. Please grant this
request.”

“Even the Prince!”

Gus also lowered his head and bowed deeply. And when the envoy saw the scene, he
also…

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 218 | 279
“P-please grant this request!”

He also bowed his head.

The King, the Prince who is soon to be the Crown Prince, and the envoy; when these
three people all lowered their heads, grandpa and grandma both had complicated
expressions, but eventually…

“…Haaa…. I understand. Diseum, I will believe in your words. However, the moment
those words turn untrue, we will leave this Kingdom. And we will no longer have any
relations. Is that fine?”

“I understand. I’m fine with those conditions.”

“Also, the King of a country cannot lower his head readily.”

“This time, I judged that it was a necessary thing for me to do.”

“Even so… good grief, from one thing to another… troubles keep happening.”

“Wai—! It’s not my fault, is it?”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, it’s never boring with Shin around.”

“Umm… I’m sorry… I’m the one who caused all the trouble…”

“You don’t have to worry about it, Sicily. The fault lies with this child, because trouble
seems to always find its way to him.”

“It’s not my fault!”

When I yelled in response, everyone looked at me with sympathetic eyes. Wh-what’s

with everyone…

“Certainly, he does seem to get involved with a lot of trouble. The event that just
happened is a prime example. If possible, could you tell me the detailed information
of what exactly happened?”

I immediately told them the details of the event. Although it was mostly me speaking,
the others would add their input from time to time, and we finished telling the account

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 219 | 279
of the event. And then…

“An artificially made devil!?”

Uncle Dis was greatly surprised. However, I felt that he wasn’t surprised because he
had heard something unbelievable. Why is that?

“Are you certain of that?”

“No, it’s just a speculation as of now. I have no conclusive evidence to prove it.”

“Hmm… This is…”

Uncle Dis had an incomprehensible expression on his face. Of course, this is only
natural after hearing such a thing.

“Shin-kun, Augusto, Thor, Julius, Sicily, Maria, and everyone else. I’m ordering a gag
order on this information. You must never reveal it to anyone. Do you understand?”

And so, we were forbidden to share this information.

“I understand, but I’ve already spoken of this information to my classmates in S Class

and the teacher?”

“We have to deal with this situation right away. Dispatch a messenger to each
individual, and tell them not to leak the information.”

“I understand. To be honest, I really want to let everyone know, but…”

“I’m sorry, but I have to deal with this problem as quickly as possible.”

Thus, Uncle Dis immediately left. Regarding the ceremony, it looks like they will
contact us on a later date.

And so, the investigation pertaining to the event has started. It looks like the House of
Ritzburg will also be investigated. However, the fate of Cart’s father has yet to be
decided.

When one looks at it, it was just Cart going out of control. However, because Cart was
placed under house arrest, it was their responsibility to guard and supervise him, but

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 220 | 279
they didn’t even noticed that he had escaped.

Nevertheless, since there was a possibility that Cart was a victim of human
experimentation, some form of leniency might be given to the House of Ritzburg. It
seems that everything would be taken under consideration.

However, it is certain that Cart’s father will resign from his position as the Vice
Minister of the Financial Bureau. Would the family then return to their main estate?
This was the question of the majority.

Every single nobility in this Kingdom has their own territory. If so, why do they live in
the Royal Capital, and work for the government?

The reason goes all the way back to the founding of the Kingdom. At that time, when
the country was recently founded, those who provided commendable service received
various territories and status of an aristocrat. Nevertheless, those families still
continued to stay in the Royal Capital in case of any revolt. The actual management of
their territories was left for their Stewards to handle, while the families lived and
stayed in the Royal Capital for more than half a year.

This was not compulsory, but something the nobles voluntarily did, or so it seemed.
Although it was not a crime for aristocrats and their family members to not live in the
Royal Capital, it seemed that they would receive extreme amount of criticism from
other nobles if they didn’t.

By the way, Sicily’s, Maria’s, Thor’s, and Julius’ Houses all have territories.

The territory of Sicily’s House is at a foot of a mountain. The place has a hot spring,
and apparently other nobles have villas there. It is a famous tourist destination, and
although the town isn’t that big, it seems to have large tax revenue, or so it seems.
Because they spent quite a large amount on road construction, more and more people
come to visit the town each year.

The territory of Maria’s House is located at a seaside town, where the fishing and
shipping industries are prosperous. The place is quite popular among travelers as a
gourmet and fishing town with its delicious dishes, especially seafood. And because
the shipping industry is thriving, it makes the town all the more exotic.

The territory of Thor’s House doesn’t seem to specialize in any production. With that
said, they focus on training craftsmen, and the products from that town form a brand.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 221 | 279
The territory of Julius’ House is surrounded by mountains and the sea, which seems
to be a resort. During the summer, one can hike, camp, and have a barbecue, while
during the winter, one can ski in the mountains. The area is outlined by a white sand
beach as far as the eye can see. There are also many buildings such as the resort
facilities, resort hotels, high-rise condominium, and various others. Nobles and other
people with status seems to spend their holidays on this land.

The resort of a Samurai…

Because there are many territories between ourselves, we started talking about
visiting the territories one by one during our long vacation.

I’m quite interested in the Samurai’s resort…

The next day, I wondered what to do with the escorting duty, but in the end, it
proceeded as usual.

The reason is, me.

“Hey, hey! Look, look! It’s Shin-sama!”

“So he is the new Hero-sama, huh….”

“Whoa… How cool.”

“I wonder, who are the people he’s with?”

“As expected of Shin-sama, he has already decided who to go with.”

“How enviable…”

Right, Uncle Dis had explained it yesterday; the people of Earlshide Kingdom already
knew about the appearance of a devil and the person who subdued it. The reason why
the people in this country have great respect for grandpa and grandma is because they
subjugated a devil in the past, so when another one appeared and their grandson was
the one who subdued it, it was easy to imagine people wanting to approach me. For
that reason, we thought that if Sicily and Maria were together with me, not too many
people would try and approach.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 222 | 279
By the way, this plan was concocted by grandma. Sicily and Maria’s parents have also
given their approvals.

“Sicily, Maria, I’m sorry… for getting you wrapped up in all this commotion as well…”

“It’s not a problem at all. Please don’t mind it too much.”

“That’s right. Since we’re indebted to Shin-kun, this much is not a problem.”

“That’s right.”

“But you know…”

“That’s not all. From the very beginning, it was my intention to go together with Shin-
kun. Please don’t disregard my intent.”

Sicily returned the words I said to her when I told her I would be her escort.

“Did I say something like that?”

“Fufu, did you say it indeed?”

“Haaa… What’s with this feeling… that I’m being left out?”

“What are you talking about.”

“That’s right. We’re not leaving you out at all.”

“These guys…”

Maria pressed her head down. It’s probably impossible for Maria to be an outcast.

In the meantime, we arrived at the academy. However, I was uneasy upon arrival,
because I felt various glances on me. As I thought, I’m being observed.

I can also see many people whispering to each other. However, I do not know what
they are saying.

“Haa… How depressing…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 223 | 279
“But that can’t really be helped. I mean, it’s because a new Hero has emerged.”

“It’s possible that students from other classes also came to see you.”

“Please stop it…”

When we arrived at the classroom, it finally calmed down. All the people here were
the ones who had listened to my explanation yesterday. And they conversed with me
normally.

“Good morning Shin.”

“Good morning, Shin-dono.”

“Shin-dono, good morning.”

Everyone is behaving normally, thank goodness.

“Hey… yesterday, messengers from the Royal Palace came to my house…”

“They also came to my house.”

“They came to my place as well.”

“Mine, too.”

Today, even Alice has arrived.

“While I was on my way to the academy, I was looking at the state of the city. Everyone
was talking about how a new Hero was born.”

“I also noticed it, however, about our conversation yesterday…”

“Yeah. I can’t say I’m happy about it.”

“When my family found out about it, all of them asked to recount the happening
excitedly… But because they were too excited, I felt kind of strange telling them.”

Everyone seems to be thinking about it in various ways. However, everyone has the
same common feeling; it was camaraderie formed after seeing the same event

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 224 | 279
together, which makes me glad. They don’t see me as someone special.

“Hey everyone! Get back to your own seats, class will begin soon!”

Alfred-sensei came to class as usual, and homeroom started. Although sensei was also
here yesterday, he’s behaving as he usual.

“Because of the commotion in the academy yesterday, everyone is restless. Especially

Walford, be sure to be careful, okay? As much as possible, stay with the other students
and don’t wander by yourself, because you’ll get mobbed, understand?”

“Shin. Seriously, don’t play around and act alone. A panic will really happen you were
to get mobbed.”

“Eh? Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Is that so… It turns out to be far bigger than I expected… I thought it stopped at people
looking from afar and whispering.

“If possible, stick together with some of the girls. Because if there are only males
around, won’t you get surrounded by girls?”

“Are you serious?”

“Ah, why don’t you try getting surrounded by women, and then you’ll know how
troublesome it is…”

Somehow, I finally realized something… Although Gus is like that, he’s still a Prince. So
whenever he’s at a social party, he’s probably always surrounded.

“Haaa… It’s such a hassle…”

“Just give up. The uproar will become even bigger after you’ve received the bestowal.”

“Are you serious…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 225 | 279
This incident is getting bigger and bigger.

The Research Society Information Session that was cancelled yesterday eventually
took place today, which turned out to be troublesome.

“Walford-kun! By all means, please join our ‘Offensive Magic Research Society!'”

“What are you saying! He is someone whom Melinda-sama has personally taught, you
know!? Only our ‘Life Improvement Research Society’ is suitable for him to join!”

“No, no. I heard that when the devil appeared yesterday, he used a sword to defeat it.
With such wonderful use of Body Strengthening Magic, Walford-kun should join our
‘Body Language Research Group.'”

“Walford-kun! Since you are the Hero-sama’s grandson, there is no one more worthy
than you joining our “Hero Research Group!” By all means, please join us.”

The solicitation to join research groups was unbelievable…

Since we have already created our own Research Society, we cannot enter any others.
And when we told the upperclassmen, they drooped their shoulders and backed
down. However, this time, we were flooded by applications from other freshmen
students to join our research group.

“U-um! Walford-kun, I heard you launched your own Research Society!”

“Is it possible for you to let me join!?”

“I also want to join!”

“Me as well!”

“Aaaaaaahhhh! Just wait a minute! I cannot hear you all properly when you guys talk
at the same time!!”

Since it was too overwhelming for me, I entrusted the membership applications to
Alfred-sensei.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 226 | 279
However, it was impossible to admit everyone, and thus, in order to join, they had to
meet the minimum requirement that was set.

They have to be able to use extra-dimensional storage space.

That was the requirement Alfred-sensei had set.

Since everyone in S Class is able to use it, and the difficulty to use it is moderate, it
seems like a reasonable requirement.

In the end, only two people from A Class was able to join, and there wasn’t anyone
from either B Class or C Class.

The two are childhood friends, and their names are Mark Bean and Olivia Stone. A son
of a blacksmith, and a daughter of a cafe owner.

In order to help their parents, the moment they found out that they had magic talents,
the first thing they learnt after entering the Advanced Academy was extra-
dimensional storage space magic. It was for delivery and shopping.

Because of all of the clamor, I was exhausted by the time we returned to the classroom.

“You see? It has become an uproar, right?”

“Ah… I have finally realized it…”

“It was quite troublesome…”

“We’re sorry… During the information session, we weren’t able to do anything…”

“No, no, being able to recruit two people is not that bad.”

“Well, with this, we were able to overcome one of the troublesome things. It’ll probably
be quiet from now on until the day of the ceremony.”

Was what Gus said. Certainly, normal classes will start after this. Since there aren’t any
more event such as the information session, it’ll probably quiet down. After this, it’ll
be fine as long as I’m careful. Or so I think.

Surely, there won’t be any more commotion such as this…

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 227 | 279
In a conference room inside the Royal Palace, the King, Diseum, the Chief of Military
Affairs, Dominic, and the Head of the Security Office, Dennis Wheeler, have gathered.

The Military Affairs are in-charge of preventing foreign invasions and the subjugation
of demons, while the Security Office are in-charge of domestic security and
maintaining peace in the Kingdom. In a sense, both departments can be categorized
and play the same role as law enforcements.

And so, the information given by Shin was passed onto Dominic and Dennis.

“What did you say! Did you say that there exists a possibility of devils being produced
artificially!?”

“Yeah, this is the impression of Shin, who personally fought against one. And after
listening to the details, I think that it is not inaccurate to say that the possibility is
absurd.”

“And so… there exists the possibility of an increase in artificially made devils…”

“Ah, Dominic, after hearing you make your report, my intuition tells me that this
matter is related.”

“It looks like someone is orchestrating something…”

“However, I don’t know who it is, or the reason why. The current on-going
investigation should be able to tell us, but…”

“This situation might very well become extremely serious.”

“We cannot let that happen! Dominic, Dennis, this time the Military Affairs and the
Security Office will work together and thoroughly investigate this matter! Make sure
not to miss anything!”

” “By your will!” ”

When Diseum left the conference room, Dominic and Dennis stayed behind.

“Nevertheless… When I first heard the report, I thought that there was no way this
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 228 | 279
could be possible…”

“I never dreamed that it would be possible to artificially produce a devil.”

“If we thoroughly investigate the eldest son of the Ritzburg House, who turned into a
devil, I’m sure a person of interest will appear, and we will uncover the evil scheme.”

“That’s right. We need to cooperate with each other.”

The remaining two people directed their intense anger to the malicious person whom
they did not know.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 229 | 279
The day after the Research Society Information Session, the Research Society has
officially started. Starting today, the activities for the Research Society resumes.
However, because ours is a newly made group, today is its launch. Because…

“Although it’s such a late hour to ask this, what do we do in a research group?”

“You really asked it at such a late hour… Well, nothing is particularly set in stone.
Basically things that aren’t covered in class, something you want to learn more details
about, or people with the same interest doing research… these are the common ones.”

“I see. If that’s the case, then what will our ‘Ultimate Magic Research Society’
research?”

“Who knows? At that time, I just went with the flow of things. So I don’t have any clue
what we should do.”

“Going with the flow, you say…”

Are you really okay with that reason? And so, I looked at the person who proposed the
name…

“I was also just going with the flow. But I don’t regret it.”

“In other words, nothing has been decided…”

“Walford-kun seems to know a lot of different kinds of powerful magic. So no matter

what, I want to cooperate with you to study it, definitely.”

“…Then, is everyone fine with researching powerful magic?”

“That’s fine.”

It seems like we’ve casually decided on something, well, it’s all good. Everything is all
good as long as everyone has fun after school.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 230 | 279
When we arrived at the laboratory, the two people who had joined yesterday were
already there.

“Ah! Sir, cheers for your hard work!”

“T-thank you very much for your hard work.”

“Thanks for your hard work, you guys got here quickly, did you?”

“Oh, yes, Sir! Because we cannot keep His Highness and the grandson of the Magi
waiting, we ran all the way here, Sir!”

“U-umm… Are we causing you any inconveniences?”

“What do you mean by inconveniences?”

“No, umm, that is…”

We’ve only met face to face yesterday, so we probably have to get to know each other
first?

“First things first, let’s go inside the laboratory.”

After saying that, I entered the laboratory. Although the structure of the room looked
no more than a normal classroom with desks, it was good enough.

“Then, Shin, as the representative of the research society, why don’t you give a speech.”

“Another speech, huh…”

I murmured and then stepped forward.

“Umm, this time, I, Shin Walford, will be the representative of the ‘Ultimate Magic
Research Society.’ Because the research society was established on a whim, and I
suddenly became the representative, we still have yet to completely decide on what
we want to do. Well, don’t worry about it, and let’s do it one step at a time.”

When I finished speaking, Mark and Olivia was it? They looked dumbfounded.

“‘Ultimate Magic Research Society,’ you say…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 231 | 279
“So it was actually named as that?”

It’s like that! You actually joined without knowing!

“Umm… It’s because we heard Walford-kun started his own research society…”

“And so we joined without knowing anything, Sir!”

“…It’s all good. And so, Mark and Olivia, could you two please introduce yourselves?”

“Ye-ye-yes, Sir! Let’s see, my name is Mark Bean, Sir! I’m a freshman in class A! My
house is a blacksmith shop, and we make weapons, armor. We also make household
accessories! If you, Sir, need anything made, please use ‘Bean’s Workshop!’ Because I
often help at the blacksmith shop, I’m good with fire magic, Sir! Please take care of
me!”

“Oh, speaking of ‘Bean’s Workshop’ it’s that the famous shop with many expert
blacksmiths who produce quality products.”

“Is that so? Or rather, you seem quite familiar with it, Tony.”

“Well, yeah… Didn’t I say it before, that my family is filled with Knights? So in the old
days, I also wielded a sword. The swords from ‘Bean’s Workshop’ are sharper than
those of other workshops; even their knives are small and easy to use.”

How surprising. Tony was talking about weapons! Although it shouldn’t be so strange
since his family is a family of Knights, it doesn’t quite match the atmosphere around
him. Mark also had a surprised expression.

“Th-thank you very much, Sir… for knowing our shop.”

“Ah, at that time, using items produced by the ‘Bean’s Workshop’ was my goal.”

“It makes me happy when you say that, Sir! If you need something made, please let me
know! I’ll provide you with some service!”

“Is that true? That makes me really happy.”

I saw a surprising side of Tony. And next was Olivia.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 232 | 279
“Umm… My name is Olivia Stone. I’m also a freshman from A Class. My house runs a
restaurant, and the name of the shop is ‘Stone Kiln Pavilion.’ Mark is my childhood
friend, and we’ve known each other for a long time. Because I often use water to help
around the shop, I’m good with water magic. Please take care of me.”

“‘Stone Kiln Pavilion!?’ That’s a very famous store!! The gratin that Stone Kiln makes
is unrivaled…”

Alice said while remembering something. Drool, drool is coming out of her mouth.

“When I passed the entrance examination, I went to Stone Kiln Pavilion to celebrate.
It really was suuuupppperrrrr~ delicious!”

“I’m so jealous, my house wasn’t able to get a reservation.”

“U-umm, everyone, if you’d like, please do come when you’re free. I will provide
hospitality.”

“Really! You did it, Shin-kun! What a great find of human resource!”

“Don’t make such a rude compliment!”

However, both of them turned out to be children of famous shops. I knew nothing of
any of the shops.

Mark has brown hair, black eyes, and some freckles. Probably because he’s been
trained to become a blacksmith, he has a muscular body physique. He also has an
atmosphere of an athlete.

Olivia is a beautiful girl with medium black hair and blue eyes. She’s cute and has a
lovely atmosphere. She’s probably the poster girl for the restaurant.

“Since Mark is a blacksmith’s son and also helps out at the shop, does that mean you’ve
already made something?”

“Ye-ye-yes, Sir! Bu-but, you see! It’s not that much of a big deal, Sir!”

“Hey, Mark. This research society only consist of freshmen, so you don’t have to speak
so formally.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 233 | 279
“That’s right, Olivia as well!”

“Eh, but…”

“But the Prince and the grandson of the Hero are here, right?”

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about that. Even Shin talks to me without reservation
from time to time.”

“Umm, Your Highness… It’s because it’s Shin…”

Because it’s Gus.

“Well, it’s probably impossible for Gus. However, even though my grandpa and
grandma are famous, I’m just part of the general public. I’m the same as the rest of you
guys.”

“…General public?”

“I wonder if my ears are hearing things?”

“However, Shin will become a celebrity starting next week.”

Hey! Everyone is so cruel! I’m part of the general public, not a noble, alright? And then
Gus suddenly said something.

“Gus, what do you mean by next week?”

“Hmm? Ah, well, you’ll probably receive the notification once you get home. It has been
determined that the ceremony will take part next week. With this, Shin will become a
celebrity.”

“Is that so… It has already been decided…”

“But be at ease. As promised yesterday, you will not be used for any political means.
Father has decided to officially declare it during the ceremony. However, it’s
impossible for your name not to be well-known. Even now, your name is already being
spread.”

“Is that so…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 234 | 279
Because of this, it’ll probably be impossible to walk around outside normally… Ah,
that’s right!

“I could just disguise myself or make myself invisible!”

Ah, crap. I said it out loud. Huh? The gazes of the people around me hurts…

“Aside from disguising yourself, what does make yourself invisible mean?”

“Eh? It means exactly as it sounds. Like this, if I make myself invisible, nobody will
recognize me or feel my presence!”

After I finished speaking, I used optical camouflage magic, and everyone was
dumbfounded. This kind of reaction again.

“Eh? Shin-kun? Where did you go?”

“No way… He suddenly disappeared…”

“Wh-wh-what the hell? Is this!?”

“No, you guys don’t have to be that surprised…”

After that, I released the optical camouflage magic, and everyone started to ask
questions.

“Shin! What was that earlier? I completely lost sight of you!”

“It’s certainly strange. Even though you didn’t leave this place, we couldn’t see where
you were at all.”

“The fact that you reappeared at the same place means you didn’t move at all? Then,
how did you do it?”

“Wait a minute! We’ve completely neglected Mark and Olivia!”

And so I said, but when everyone turned to look at them, both of them looked
astonished.

“Your Highness, sir, you said…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 235 | 279
“Walford-kun is being decorated?”

The topic of the conversation has changed!

“Let’s divert back to the original topic, or else it’ll become a mess.”

“It’s because of you.”

“Shut up! Wait a minute, Umm, Mark, I heard you are able to create something? And
also, didn’t we say to please stop with the honorifics?”

“It is as you have said, Sir.”

“Well, first things first, please stop with the honorifics. There’s no need for honorifics
when we’re all the same age.”

“It’s impossible to do so when addressing His Highness and Walford-kun! And also,
when I’m helping in the workshop, my position is the lowest, so this is the way I
usually talk, Sir!”

“It’s the same for me as well, since it’s necessary when I’m helping with the shop…
Although I feel like I can drop the honorifics when I talk to His Highness and Walford-
kun, it’s not possible to do so immediately.”

I’m being labelled at the same class as Gus…

“It looks like you want to say something?”

“I don’t really have anything to say… Haa~ Then let’s just end it with that. It’s not good
to force them to do it.”

“I’m really very sorry.”

“I’m very sorry.”

“You guys don’t have to apologize every single time. And so? What did you make,
Mark?”

“Well, Sir, as I’ve said earlier, I’m still an apprentice. However, just recently, I was finally
able to make a knife… Nevertheless, because I cannot disregard magic practice, I

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 236 | 279
haven’t improved much, I’m still far from it. It can’t be helped.”

“I see. If you can make a weapon, I thought that you could maybe make a weapon for
me.”

“No, no! Walford-kun’s sword was able to slay a devil, right? There’s no way anything
I make can be equal to it, sir!”

Hmm? I see, I didn’t explain it earlier.

“No, that sword is just a normal iron sword enchanted with magic, you know? Because
it’s made to be thin and light, it doesn’t have much durability.”

“Eh? An ordinary sword?”

“That’s right.”

After I said that, I took out the Vibration Sword from the extra-dimensional space. And
then I showed it to Mark.

“So that is the sword that subdued the devil…”

“Would you like to look at it?”

Mark then began to appraise the Vibration Sword from all sorts of angles.

“…I cannot believe it… Is this really the sword that exterminated the devil, Sir?”

“That’s right.”

“Certainly this sword, Sir… is thin and light, and it’s also easy to wield. But that’s all
there is to it. If it is used to cut something slightly hard, it would break easily, Sir.”

“What? Is that how it is?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Would you like to see it as well?”

And so, he handed it over to Gus.

…He used such normal honorifics to address Gus…

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 237 | 279
“This is really… It certainly looks like it’ll break easily…”

“Didn’t I say it’s enhanced by enchantment magic? Try applying your magic to activate
it.”

“Eh! This is? The blade seems to be vibrating?”

“Now then, why don’t you try and cut something? It’s okay if you don’t use much
power.”

And so, I retrieved some wooden logs from the extra-dimensional space. These are,
why did I have them in the first place? Was I going to use them for something?

I don’t remember why I have a log. While I was thinking why I had it, I heard Gus letting
out a surprised voice.

“What the! What in the world is this!?”

The Vibration Sword cut the log in half as if it were butter. Everyone had their eyes
wide open at the sight. And then he swung the sword at the log once more.

“What the world is this…”

“Vibration Sword. Thanks to the super high-speed vibrations that it creates, it can
make such clean cuts.”

I explained the details about the Vibration Sword as it was being returned to me.

“Like I said, the sword isn’t all that great. After modifying it for easy handling, the
overall durability was compromised. That’s why I want something thin as a spare.”

While saying so, I returned the Vibration Sword inside the extra-dimensional space.
Mark looked like he was thinking of something, and then he said.

“…If the only condition you have is for it to be thin, then I can make it myself. However,
I’ll need to consult with Walford-kun more about it later…”

“Really!? That’s great. Up until now, I’ve been doing all the adjustments myself since I
didn’t have anyone to ask, so you’re a big help!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 238 | 279
“No, Sir, if it’s just this much, it’s an easy request.”

Ah, this is really lucky. With this, I can experiment with various things.

“However, for you to be able to make something like that…”

“How amazing. Although I also specialize in enchantment magic, after looking at that
thing…”

“Yuri, it is also possible for you to make something like that. If you’d like, I could ask
grandma to teach you.”

“Eh!? Really! Please do! I’m super happy!”

It’s the first time I’ve seen Yuri being so hyperactive. It seems that she really looks up
to grandma.

“But you know, I’ve already given Uncle Dis, Chris-neechan, and Sieg-oniichan a knife
version of it?”

“…I’ve never seen those before.”

“I see, I guess they kept them as a secret?”

“Now that you mentioned it, a few years ago, when Siegfried got himself a new
weapon, he was really proud of it… But no matter how much I asked him to show it to
me, he didn’t let me see it.”

Siegfried? Who is that person… who has such a cool name?

“Shin-kun, you’re acquainted with Siegfried-sama!?”

“I don’t know anyone named Siegfried-sama, but Uncle Dis is this Kingdom’s King, and
Sieg-niichan is one of the King’s escorts. A silver-haired guy.”

“That’s him! All female Magicians! No, all the females in the Royal Capital yearn for
him. Siegfried Marquez-sama!”

“To actually have people yearning for him…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 239 | 279
“I want to be able to talk to him at least once.”

“Back in middle school, there was a fanclub for him.”

Alice started talking passionately. Maria, Rin, and Yuri all agreed.

“Ehhh… He’s nothing but a playboy-niichan, you know?”

“And, you also seem to be acquainted with Christina-sama.”

“Again, I don’t know anyone named Christina-sama? Chris-neechan is the same as

Sieg-niichan, one of the King’s escorts.”

“Christina Hayden, a young, beautiful Knight, and mysterious woman chosen to be one
of the King’s escorts for her swordsmanship. And because of her beautiful looks and
mysterious atmosphere, there are a lot of boys who admire her.”

Thos, Julius, and Mark nodded their heads like crazy.

“What mysterious atmosphere… she’s just a blunt woman…”

I didn’t know those two are so popular. What’s this strange feeling as if it’s my own
brother and sister who are getting praised. That aside, the reality is completely
different from what they think… they might get disillusioned when they meet them…

“Putting that aside, Shin, how did you make yourself disappear earlier?”

“That’s right, Shin-kun! What was that earlier?”

“Ah, you mean the optical camouflage?”

“Optical… What is that?”

“Optical camouflage. When humans look around, you understand that they use their
eyes to see, right?”

“What are you saying… it’s only natural, right?”

“Why can you see things?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 240 | 279
“Why, you ask… I don’t know the reason why.”

“The eyes of a human can see, because light is being reflected off of it.”

“Reflection?”

“That’s right. That’s why you cannot see wherever light is not reflected. Take for
example, a glass? A glass, because it is not contaminated with much impurities, results
in being almost transparent, which allows light to pass through.”

“You’re right…”

“With that, you can see things that are reflected by light, so if I distort the reflected
light…”

“Ah! Then Shin-kun will disappear!”

“It’s not as if I will really disappear. All I did is use magic to distort and interfere with
the light in the surroundings. Therefore, when I use magic to reflect the light to my
surroundings and bypass me, people won’t see me even when I’m front of their eyes.
As a result, it will look like I disappeared. But it does not mean I really did disappear.”

When I explained the foundation of optical camouflage magic, it looked there were
question marks above everyone’s heads.

“…Sicily, do you understand it?”

“Not at all…”

“Even after you explained it, I still don’t understand it at all!”

“Although I don’t understand it, it’s an amazing magic.”

“As I thought…”

“It defies the common sense of magic degozaru.”

Everyone declared unanimously but…

“This group is called ‘Ultimate Magic Research Society,’ you know? What will you do if

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 241 | 279
you’re already this surprised?”

“It’s too ‘ultimate’ all of a sudden!”

“This is amazing. Ultimate concealment magic.”

“No, the magic didn’t block any sound, and it doesn’t hide magic power, so it can’t really
be considered as an ultimate, right?”

“No, it’s sufficient enough. If possible, this magic is not something that we should
spread around.”

“Why is that?”

“Ability to freely assassinate people, steal all the confidential documents as you like,
tailing others, eavesdropping; there are too many application when it comes to
criminal activities.”

“If you put it that way, then magic itself should be prohibited. In the end, isn’t it a
matter of the person’s morals?”

“It’s certainly as you say… but this magic brings about too much temptation…”

“It’s alright, Your Highness! Because during the explanation earlier, nobody
understood the foundation of it, right?”

“…That is also true.”

“Was my explanation too hard to understand?”

“That’s not it… In the first place, I didn’t understand the concept.”

However, I explained the reflection of lights as easy as I possibly could. Maybe there
isn’t any concept of capturing light in the first place?

“I see… you don’t understand the concept.”

“I think it’s going to be like this. We all have to gather and watch Shin attentively while
he develops original, ultimate magic.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 242 | 279
“Please don’t say it like that. Even if it’s just a little, I want to be of some help to
Walford-kun.”

“This is what His Majesty was saying during the entrance ceremony. Shin-kun will
break all the stereotypes of magic.”

“But I feel that it broke too much…”

“Thor, just give up degozaru.”

“As I thought, it was a good thing to join this research society. It might even help me
advance to S Class.”

“As for me, I want to learn more about enchantment magic.”

“Well, let’s do it in moderation.”

Although some look like they’ve given up, there are others who look even more
motivated. Well, I wonder if this much is alright since it’s the first gathering of our
research society?

Now that I think about it, what about those two people?

“No chants needed…”

“As expected of S Class…”

Like I said! The conversation has deviated!

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 243 | 279
Author’s Note: This time, I’ll be writing in third person.

The residences of nobility lined this area in rows. Although there were a lot of big
houses, there were very few people walking about, a quiet street. In a secluded corner
of area lies the Count of Ritzburg’s estate, the destination of an Investigator from the
Security Office; Orth Rickerman. His purpose was to question Count Ritzburg.

In the drawing room of Ritzburg’s mansion, Russell and Orth came to face each other.

“How did the Madam take in the news?”

“Ah… She was exhausted and fell asleep on her bed from anxiety. It’s because our own
son had turned into a devil, and was then killed. Even myself, if I could fall asleep, I
would like to.”

“…I’d like express my deepest apologies.”

“No, please don’t mind what I said. It is our responsibility that Cart turned out that
way.”

“If I may, about your son… Has he always acted presumptuously since before?”

“Please don’t say such foolish things!!”

Russell suddenly raised his voice unintentionally. When he became aware of what he
had done, he apologized for shouting loudly.

“I-I’m very sorry… I was overcome with emotions all of a sudden…”

“Please don’t mind it, it’s only natural. I beg your forgiveness for my discourtesy, but I
have to ask again. Has he always acted presumptuously since before?”

“Not at all… As you might already be aware, we as nobles must always put our country
first. Nobles exist for the people. The Royal Family, together with the nobles exist for

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 244 | 279
the people. Because the people residing in this Kingdom are its national treasures, we
should put them first and protect them. I have been preaching that principle to Cart
from early on. Although he had excessive pride, he is well aware that people should be
protected.”

“In other words, he acted differently back then?”

“…I wasn’t able to observe Cart all the time… Perhaps if we ask my wife or the servants,
they might give us more insight…”

“Thanks for speaking with me, I will follow up on it later. So then, when did he start
showing such attitude?”

“It began just the other day.”

“Is that so…”

His personality was very different in the Advanced Magic Academy. However, his
behavior was consistent with his Middle School days.

In the Advanced Magic Academy, he was regarded as ‘A fool with an arrogant attitude.’

In middle school he was regarded as ‘A prideful noble who cares about the people.’

How can his reputation in Middle school and the Advanced Magic Academy differ so
much? It was as if they were describing different people.

During his Middle School days, he seemed to have been a proper nobleman of the
Kingdom’s noble houses.

And then at the start of his Advanced Magic Academy days…

“A noble from the Empire…”

“Huh?”

“Well… during his middle school days, your son seemed to be a proper member of the
Kingdom’s nobility. But after he entered Advanced Magic Academy, your son…”

“…You’re saying he became more like a noble from the Empire?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 245 | 279
“That’s the impression I have of him after he turned into a devil.”

“…Certainly, the nobles from the Empire see their citizens as objects to exploit. Anyone
who is not a noble, the general public, aren’t even considered humans…”

The ideals of the aristocrats in Earlshide Kingdom and Bluesphere Empire are
completely different.

In the Earlshide Kingdom, the aristocrats exist in order to protect the general public,
and it is natural for them to think of every way possible for the people to prosper. This
was what King Diseum was telling Merlin about in terms of reformation of aristocrats.

For several generations, the Kingdom had thought about how to reform the
aristocracy, and finally came up with this solution. In fact, after Earlshide Kingdom
implemented this reform, the lifestyle of the people started to improve. The overall
productivity also increased, and as a result, tax revenues increased, making the
territories all over the Kingdom prosperous.

In contrast, it is generally considered that commoners exists for aristocrats, in the

Bluesphere Empire. The citizens suffer from very heavy taxation, there is no increase
in their productivity, and their standard of living is considerably low compared to the
lifestyles of the people living in the Kingdom.

In the Kingdom, children under the age of 15 have the right to receive equal education,
and education has become semi-mandatory. Because of that, the literacy rate is high,
and its citizens are also able to calculate quickly.

In comparison to the Empire, only the children of nobles, and sometimes children of
wealthy merchants, are able to go to school. It was possible for a commoner to go to
school, however, because they were not provided extra knowledge. Those who were
born on the side of being exploited, are not given any chance for a better way of life
and remain being exploited.

All because they aren’t given a chance to gain knowledge.

Commoners exists for aristocrats, and they are the ones who benefit from this.

Cart’s words were the spitting image of those of an Imperial noble’s.

“This is… Is there a possibility that he’d been brainwashed by someone from the
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 246 | 279
Empire?”

“Brainwashed by someone from the Empire!?”

“Count Ritzburg, didn’t you find it strange? Just recently, he’d been acting as a noble
from the Kingdom, and thought of the general public as people he should protect. Then
one day, he suddenly thinks of himself as one of the chosen, and could not tolerate
being treated as equals with commoners. What’s your opinion on this?”

“That’s why my wife and I are confused…”

“Your son sounded like someone from the Empire. Could it be that he had contact with
someone from the Empire?”

“…Ah, now that you mentioned it…”

“Is there someone that comes to mind?”

“There is this teacher who taught Cart during his middle school days. He has bandages
over both his eyes, and he’s someone who is originally from the Empire. I heard that
because he is able to use some powerful magic, he caused the Empire some trouble,
so he ended up seeking refuge in the Kingdom.”

“And that teacher and your son have contact with each other?”

“Yes, Cart participated in the study research that teacher is going. Also, when Cart was
studying for the Advanced Magic Academy, the teacher came here as his tutor.”

“A teacher who originates from the Empire…”

Suspicious. Anyone who heard it would be suspicious.

And so, Orth interviewed all of the employees.

“Schtrom-sensei, you ask? He’s a good person. When I heard he originated from the
Empire, I thought he would have strong discrimination against commoners, but there
was no such thing at all. Although we’re employees, he speaks to us without any
prejudice.”

The result of the testimonies from them were generally like that.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 247 | 279
Is there really no problem? However, that teacher only became a teacher just a year
ago. And there’s a chance he was the one responsible for turning Cart into a devil.

One year ago.

The timing coincides with the information gathered just a few moments ago.
Furthermore, one of his students turned into a devil.

Although there was nothing questionable about the given testimonies. However, all of
his actions are suspicious. Therefore…

“The day young master became like that, he also came to visit.”

“Around what time was that?”

“If I’m not mistaken… It was in the morning.”

If it was in the morning, it was before he turned into a devil. Furthermore, after he
visited, Cart escaped from his room.

However, there was no evidence. But it was clearly very suspicious.

After gathering information about Cart, Orth left the house and decided to look for
Schtrom who was teaching at the middle school.

But just in case, he returned to the Security Office, and got one of the younger
members to accompany him.

The two visited an academy attended by nobles and wealthy merchants, and
compared to other academies, it was very luxurious. And inside one of the borrowed
laboratory, Oliver Schtrom was there.

“I’m sorry to take up your time when you’re busy, Schtrom-sensei.”

“Sorry for bothering you.”

“No, it’s alright. Would you like to drink some tea?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 248 | 279
“No, please don’t mind me.”

Orth was alert while he monitored Schtrom. Although both his eyes were covered with
eye-patches, there was no sense of feeling restraint in his movements. Although
Schtrom was probably using some kind of sensing magic, they had no idea how he was
doing it.

Because there’s a limit to just inspecting him, Orth decided to ask a question.

“I heard Schtrom-sensei if the from Empire. Please excuse me for asking such a rude
question, but under what circumstances lead you to come to our country? If it’s okay,
would you please clarify this for me?”

“The reason why I came to the Kingdom… It’s actually quite an embarrassing story. I
was actually born from a noble house in the Empire…”

A noble from the Empire… With just those word, Orth’s body stiffened in an instant.

After being defeated during the battle for the right to be the head of the family… I fled
and barely escaped from the clutches of my relatives who want to see me dead. As a
result, I could no longer stay in the Empire. And thus I took refuge in the Kingdom.
Because of a surprise attack back then, my eyes were injured…”

“I see, so that’s how it is. No, I’m really sorry for asking such an impolite question.”

“It’s fine, because you’re just doing your job. Please continue without paying it mind.”

An inoffensive exchange of words. However, what Schtrom had said might not
necessarily be true. Which part of it was the truth, and which part of it was a lie? The
young member was taking note of the interview. Orth left the note-taking to him, and
continued to ask questions.

“By the way, Schtrom-sensei, I heard that you’re looking for children with magic talent
to participate in your research study in order to nurture very talented Magicians. Why
are you doing something like this? Even though you work here now, weren’t you
originally from a hostile country? Do you want to get back at the Empire?”

“That kind of hypothesis is not unreasonable. However, I do not have such intention.
The reason is actually a lot simpler.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 249 | 279
“What do you mean?”

“It’s because I’m a newly appointed teacher who came from the Empire. And so the
criticism towards me is quite strong. I wanted to be able to achieve something so that
this academy will recognize me.”

“And that’s what your research study is for.”

“It’s exactly as you say. Thanks to my research study, all the children who participated
have increased their magic power. There was also a child who was able to pass
Advanced Magic Academy’s examination. And because of that, I was able to establish
my position in this academy.”

His actions wasn’t for any particularly noble reason, but for his own self-interest. It
was the most natural motivator of human behavior.

There is nothing unusual with the current conversation. Although his face can been
seen, because of his eye-patch, it was hard to read his facial expressions. Orth
suppressed his feelings, clicked his tongue, and continued with the interview.

“However, it’s quite regrettable this time around.”

“It is as you said. The student whom I was referring to that passed the Advanced Magic
Academy examination was Cart. And then it turned out like this…”

“But this incident didn’t damage Schtrom-sensei’s career, did it?”

Then, Schtrom retorted, slightly offended.

“I did not say anything like that! Cart was my cute student! And for that same Cart to
turn out that way, of course I am very sad!”

“Sorry for my impoliteness. It was a slip of the tongue.”

“It’s all good as long as you can understand…”

Although Schtrom was agitated, it only took but a moment for him to regain his calm.
But is this really his true feelings, or are he just putting an act… If that’s the case then…

“Schtrom-sensei, if it’s alright with you, could I make a request?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 250 | 279
“What is it?”

“Actually, I’d like you to come with me and examine his body that transformed into a
devil.”

“You want me to examine his body?”

“Yes. Right now, we’re in the process of gathering experts with different specialties to
do examinations. And Schtrom-sensei, since you are a considerably high-ranking
Magician, we would like to invite you to listen to what they can find. We would also
like to listen to Schtrom-sensei’s opinions.”

“But to inspect the remains of my own student, it somehow makes me feel reluctant….

“Please, we ask this of you. This is for the sake of all mankind.”

“…Haaa~ I understand. I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Thank you very much. I’m sorry for asking suddenly, but are you good with time after
this?”

“It really is sudden… I’m good to go. There is no research study today.”

“Thank you very much. Now then, let us go.”

Orth signaled to the young member, and then he stood up.

“We’re expecting we’ll hear beneficial information from you.”

“I’ll be troubled if you blindly expect something.”

After the conversation ended, they headed towards the Security Office.

On the other hand, the people from the Military Affairs have been performing
investigations around the meadows and forests surrounding the Royal Capital.

“Director, I’m here to make a report.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 251 | 279
“Let me hear it.”

“Yes. As expected, the number of demons have increased considerably. From small
animals such as rabbits and squirrels, wild dogs, jackals, wolves. Medium-sized
animals such as wild boar, and large animals such as bears have demonized.”

“Why do you think we didn’t notice it?”

“It’s probably because most of them were just small animals, and we didn’t feel any
threat. Regarding medium and large sized demons, even if the occurrence has
increased, so long as they cooperate with the magic Division, they’ll be easily subdued.
They don’t appear in groups, after all… Also, since disaster-class demons such as tigers
and lion didn’t appear, that might have contributed to the reason as well.”

“I see…”

“Hey, Dominic.”

“…Please call me Director here, Rupper.”

“Haaa! It’s just because it’s your turn to be the director this time around. It’s be my
turn to serve as one next, so I’ll also be a Director.”

The man who came to greet Dominic, the Chief of Military Affairs, in a loud voice was
Rupper Holgran. He is the current head of the Magic Division, and the former Director
of Military Affairs.

He had brown eyes and brown hair, and he wore a somewhat worn down robe of the
Magic Division. The words “Evil Father” was a perfect description of the man.

“It’s perfect for an underling to address his superior.”

“If that’s the case, then everyone apart from His Majesty should lower their heads and
address me as Former Director of Military Affairs.”

“When you say it like that then… Haaa, let’s just stop it. And so? Did you need
something?”

“When a guy who subjugates demons told me about their increased in numbers, and
in the magic point of view…”
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 252 | 279
“Did you manage to find out something?”

“Well, about that…”

“…”

“I found absolutely nothing!”

“Haaa… I was a fool to have expected something.”

“Now, now, don’t say something like that. The reason I found nothing is because of
abiogenesis.”

“Abiogenesis?”

“Ah, we’ve thought that when an animal stays in a place where dark magic is
concentrated, it is more prone to turning into a demon, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“However, there aren’t any places in the vicinity where dark magic concentrates..”

“…Then that means, as I thought…”

“Yeah. What you have said before, regarding ‘Artificially generated demons,’ it means
there’s a high possibility.”

“What are the possibility of demons transporting from another place?”

“There isn’t any. If so, the situation will be more problematic. It wouldn’t be possible
for demons to increase little by little. In addition, there has been no reports from other
cities regarding an increase in demons.”

“This is finally…”

“Yeah, it stinks no matter how you put it.”

And so, the two top brasses of Military Affairs looked at each other with a serious
expression.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 253 | 279
A change of place, a room inside the a certain Palace. In front of the Master of the
Palace, there was a report.

“What did you say? The number of demons in Earlshide Kingdom is increasing?”

“Yes. The Military Affairs seems to be going full force in order to investigate the cause
of this.”

“I see. What about the status of the number of demons in our country?”

“That is, there’s a report that unlike the Kingdom, there has been less and less
demons.”

“Hmm, I see…”

“Your Majesty, isn’t this unexpected situation an opportunity?”

“You’re right. The number of demons in our country is decreasing, whereas the
number of demons in the Kingdom is increasing. The demons from our country have
probably moved to the Kingdom. In that case, the Kingdom would probably have their
hands full on trying to suppress the demons, and they will not notice our movements.”

After he said that, the very man informed everyone who was present.

“This is probably the will of heaven, giving US the opportunity to unite the world. We
must not miss this chance. Therefore, we will invade the Earlshide Kingdom. We will
also mobilize. Everyone, start the preparation in order to conquer.”

“By your will!” [Said by everyone.]

The man decided to invade Earlshide Kingdom.

He is the Emperor of Bluesphere Empire, Herald von Bluesphere.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 254 | 279
The story returns to Earlshide Kingdom, the Royal Capital.

While Orth was leading Schtrom to the Security Office, a crew came from the practice
ground.

“I’m really sorry for forcefully bringing you out here, sensei…”

“What are you saying now? It’s already fine.”

The two people who came from the practice ground entered while saying so.

“This place is?”

“Oh, this is the practice ground of the Security Office. I was thinking to have you do the
examination here.”

“In a place like this?”

“Yeah.”

After he said so, he made a signal.

Then, Knights, Soldiers, and Magicians all appeared and surrounded the place.

“Your examination, that is.”

“Mine? Why?”

“Hey Orth. I was summoned as soon as I returned from my investigation, what the hell
is going on?”

As soon as Orth exited Schtrom’s laboratory, he asked the young military member to
signal for all military personnel to gather.

“I will explain it now, Rupper-sama.”

After he said that, he looked at Schtrom.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 255 | 279
“Exactly what did I do to deserve this kind of treatment? Orth-san. As I expected, I will
receive this kind of treatment because I was originally a noble from the Empire…”

“It’s not because of that reason at all, Schtrom-sensei. Your testimony was indeed very
impressive. If it’s just your testimony, there’s no reason to doubt you. However,
although it’s only one thing, you’ve made a mistake.”

“Mistake, you say?”

“Yes. Chief Dominic, do you know who turned into a devil?”

“It was Cart von Ritzburg. What about it?”

“That’s right. Of course everyone here knows about it.”

“That’s why I ask, what of it?”

“Everyone here knows about it. However, anyone else shouldn’t know about it.”

“…Really?”

“When His Majesty heard from Shin Walford-kun, the person who subdued the devil,
His Majesty immediately issued a gag order. A human who turned into a devil should
not be revealed. Especially this time, since the appearance of the devil was rather
mysterious. This was also to prevent his family from being treated unfairly. I heard the
House of Ritzburg was peaceful before they got acquainted with you? The Kingdom
feels that it’s an extreme national threat to disclose the identity of the devil, because
if people know that it was Cart von Ritzburg was the person who turned into a devil,
they would feel overwhelmed and create mass panic. This is the evidence that the gag
order was effective.”

The Knights in the surrounding also noticed this fact, and they kept a vigilant eye on
Schtrom.

“The tale that’s being widespread in the Royal Capital is ‘A devil appeared in the
Advanced Magic Academy, and it just so happened that the grandson of the Hero, Shin
Walford, was the one who subdued it.’ Everyone knows that a devil had appeared.
However, they have no idea of the identity of the human who turned into a devil. The
only people who knew of his identity are the Military personnel currently in this place,
people part of the Security Office, and the people involved in the Advanced Magic
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 256 | 279
Academy. Now then, could you tell us where you’ve heard that Cart von Ritzburg had
turned into a devil? Because we need to issue punishment to the person responsible
information leakage.”

When Orth finished speaking, Oliver suddenly started laughing loudly.

“Kukuku, ahahaha, AHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

“What is it!?”

“Did his brain snap?”

While the Military and Security Office personnels were confused and giving him
skeptical glances, Oliver began to speak.

“I never thought a gag order would have been issued. Because the Royal Capital is in
an uproar, I thought everyone knew who turned into a devil. Now I know, the
commotion is all because of Walford-kun.”

“That’s how it is. Everyone is clamoring because a new Hero has been born. In
addition, the new Hero is the very grandson of the personage everyone already
worships as a Hero, thus it’s only natural for the people to create an even bigger
uproar. Also, even though the threat of a devil had appeared, there was no damage at
all. So it can’t be helped if the people focus more on the Hero rather than the identity
of the devil, right?”

“I see, so rather than the focusing on the devil, their attention is on the Hero.”

When saying that, Schtrom began clad himself in magic power.

“Don’t underestimate us!”

Rupper suddenly cast magic without any chants, and shot a Fire Arrow. The Fire Arrow
which everyone thought had hit Schtrom, landed on his Magic Barrier.

“Tch! He was actually able to block it. What the hell are you!?”

“Hehe, I don’t have any obligation to answer you.”

When Schtrom finished saying so, he cast Explosion, and broke the magic barrier

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 257 | 279
surrounding the practice ground. He then began to float, and tried to leave through
the broken wall.

“No matter what, we cannot let him escape!! If he does get away, there will be more
victims!!”

The moment the military personnels heard Dominic, they started firing magic and
arrows. However, all of the attacks were hampered by the Magic Barrier.

“Now then, since I have completed all my experiments here, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be
momentarily taking my leave.”

“Experiments, you say!”

With those words, Orth was filled with intense resentment.

“That means Cart was just used as an experiment! The future of a young boy! He was
used all for your selfish purposes!!”

“Is that so? Please accept my sincere sympathies. Well, please just think that it was his
rotten luck to have gained my attention.”

“It was… his bad luck? Do you not know how much his family has
SUFFFEEEERRRREEDDDDD!!”

“Stop it!! Orth!”

Orth drew the saber which had been distributed to Security Office personnels and
charged towards Schtrom.

“Haaa, righteous men are so annoying…”

Schtrom avoided Orth, who rushed to attack him, and fired magic from behind.

“Orth!!”

When Orth’s body suddenly got rammed from side, and Dominic, jumped in to save
him. Both Dominic and Orth got blown away and started rolling on the ground.

And suddenly, magic was fired at the wall next to where the people Security Office

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 258 | 279
were, and it exploded.

“Oh? You guys were able to evade it?”

Schtrom, while still being aloof and without a care in the world, said to the people
around him. And the people in the surroundings were at lost at how to apprehend
him…

“How the! What the! Hell is this!?”

They heard a voice of a young boy.

Everyone was astounded and turned around.

“Oh!? What they heck is up with all this commotion!?”

Shin Walford had arrived.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 259 | 279
After the Research Society’s first meeting ended, everyone returned to their respective
houses. Some returned by walking, some rode carriages, and some, due to the Royal
Capital’s vastness, returned to the dormitory prepared by the academy.

Since none of the students from S Class resided in a dormitory, we all left together.

“Speaking of which, Mark, is it okay to go to your house now?”

“Eh? My house, Sir?”

“Nn. It’s regarding the new weapon I was talking about earlier. I want to determine
what can and can’t be made.”

“Ah, sure. Are we heading there straight away, Sir?”

“Oh right, Sicily, Maria, is it alright if we stop by Mark’s house?”

“It’s alright.”

“I’m also fine with it. I also want to look at Mark’s store.”

“Could I also tag along?”

Strangely enough, Tony requested to come with us.

“As I suspected, even now, you’re still interested in Bean’s Workshop?”

“That’s right. Although I don’t wield a sword, I still find it exciting to look at them.”

“I thought you didn’t want to become a Knight?”

“Although I find attending the Knight Military Training Academy unpleasant, it doesn’t
mean I think being a Knight or a Swordsman unpleasant.”

“That is… Ah, it’s because of the ratio of men and women…”
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 260 | 279
“Because to me, that place is hell.”

Since he was admitted to the academy, Tony has been constantly seen together with
girls, so I guess an environment with less girls is torture for him. I thought it was
unusual for him not to go home together with girls, so I guess it was because he’s
interested in Bean’s Workshop.

“Then I shall go as well.”

“Your Highness!”

“Since I have two reliable escorts and Shin together with me, there’ll be no danger.”

“That’s not the problem…”

“Also, Father goes to Shin’s house quite often.”

“His Majesty…”

Gus decided to come along with us while raising some stinking flags.

“It suddenly became quite a number of people.”

“Isn’t it fine. It’s more fun when everyone wanders around the city together.”

“It is as you say, it’s fun.”

Mark, Olivia, Sicily, Maria, Tony, Gus, Thor, Julius, and I, a total of nine people headed
towards Mark’s house.

The group was divided into male team, female team, and Gus’ team. The female team
started walking while chatting happily. It looks like they’re having fun.

“And so, Walford-kun, what kind of sword are you thinking of getting?”

“Oh right, it’s important that the blade is thin but doesn’t break easily. Although I want
to get it made immediately, I still have to prepare the money for it…”

“As the Magi’s grandson, there no need for you to worry about money, is there?”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 261 | 279
“I do receive pocket money. However, since I don’t earn it by myself, I can’t spend too
much.”

“Heeeh, you’re surprisingly sensible.”

“Surprisingly, you say…”

I wonder how everyone sees me.

“But since Shin is very strong, he could hunt demons as a part-time job.”

“Hunting demons part-time?”

“Eh, did you not know about it? The Demon Hunter Association does not employ
people permanently. As long as they have records of subduing demons, anyone can get
remuneration.”

“Is that how it is…”

“It just shows how ignorant you are of the world. Everyone knows of it, as it’s only
natural.”

Although I’ve heard people can receive money for subjugating demons, I thought it
wasn’t possible if one is not properly registered. So it was just as simple as that.

Mark, who was thinking this whole time, proposed something.

“Walford-kun, if that’s the case, how about designing an all-in-one thin blade mold, so
that large quantities can be reproduced? Since the hilt does need to be processed
separately, the cost will also be reduced thanks to the mold.”

“Ah, I was also thinking about that, however, the vibration feature will be integrated
on the hilt…”

“Ah, I see. We also need to think about the sword being able to handle the vibration.”

“Yeah, we haven’t considered that.”

What should I do? While I was consulting with Mark, Tony suddenly made a
suggestion.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 262 | 279
“Then, wouldn’t it be better if you are able to easily replace the blade?”

” “That’s it!!” ”

Because we said it in such a loud voice, everyone looked towards us.

“What happened?”

“Ah, while we were coming up with an idea for the new weapon, Tony suddenly came
up with an idea.”

“A new weapon…”

“Right, a thin blade that doesn’t break easily. In short, if the blade can be replaced
easily, we can cut down on the overall cost.”

“Now, the only thing that’s left is how to replace it.”

“If possible, I’d like it so that with just one-touch, the blade can be changed…”

“However, if we do something like that, the cost will increase in order to develop it.”

“Normally, when the blade is connected to the hilt, it’s affixed in a way so that it doesn’t
come off easily. In addition, weapons are usually made with the assumption that it will
shake to begin with, so isn’t it fine if it’s made it a little looser so it comes off easily?”

” “That’s it!!” ”

Oh man, Tony decided to come with us today really helped me out. With this, the
prospect of a new Vibration Sword has been realized. I’m looking forward to the
development.

“…Well, with this, there’s no particular problem.”

Gus said so. Before I was aware of it, Gus had become someone like my watchdog.

“Let’s hurry to the workshop! I can’t stop myself from wanting to try out this new
idea!”

“Yeah, I agree.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 263 | 279
“Hey, Shin. While you and the others are in the workshop, is it okay if we go to Olivia’s
place?”

“We want to talk to Olivia-san more.”

“Ugh… Please be gentle with me…”

Sicily and Maria probably asked her various questions, Olivia looked exhausted.

“It’s fine. I was thinking it’d probably a bad idea for you guys to come to the workshop
with us because you’d likely find it boring.”

The male team and Gus team headed for the workshop, the female team headed for
Olivia’s store. While we were rushing to our destinations. On the way there, we passed
by a huge premises.

“What’s in that building?”

“Ah, that’s the Security Office station over there. And behind that building is their
practice ground.”

“Heeeh, is that so…”

KABOOOOM!!

The wall of the practice ground suddenly exploded.

“KYAAAAAAaaa!!!”

Followed by the sound of women screaming.

“Wh-what is it!!?”

” “Your Highness!” ”

The two escorts stepped in front of Gus to protect him.

“What happened? Was there an accident in the practice ground?”

“No, the walls of the practice ground should have a Magic Barrier, just like the

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 264 | 279
academy…”

“However, for it to break because of a magic attack means…”

I got a feeling that it might be dangerous. And suddenly, a huge amount of magic power
drifted out of the practice ground.

“This is bad! Everyone, get away from this building!!”

After I warned everyone to move away, the wall behind me exploded.

“UWAAA! What the hell! Is this!”

Because the magic power coming from inside seemed really dangerous, I was a good
thing I cast a magic barrier. Although I cried out involuntarily, there was no damage.

As for what had happened, when I looked inside the middle of the broken wall, there
was a Knight, a Soldier, and a Magician, and many archers surrounding them.

“Ohh!? What the hell is with all this commotion!?”

There was an indescribably heavy atmosphere. There was too much excessive force,
to surround just one person. So, who was the person who has such huge magic power?
While I was thinking to myself, I looked at the guy who was surrounded.

“Eye-patch covering both eyes…”

If I’m not mistaken, that guy has the same features as teacher Gus and the others had
described.

“Gus, that person is…”

“Yeah, there’s no doubt about it. He’s the suspicious teacher from middle school I was
telling you about, Oliver Schtrom.”

“Oh? Well, well, if it isn’t Prince Augusto and Shin Walford-kun.”

He knows of me? My name aside, there’s shouldn’t be a lot of people who knows how
I look like. In the first place, shouldn’t he be unable to see with those eyes?

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 265 | 279
“Please run away, Prince Augusto! That guy is the real culprit of the devil
disturbance!!”

The real culprit of the devil disturbance? Then that means…

“You’re the one who manipulated Cart?”

“That’s right. Well you see, it was interesting to watch him perform for me.”

“Is that so…”

He has a disgusting habit, this guy.

“Ohya~ You also cannot forgive me?”

“Yeah, I can’t forgive you. How many people do you think have suffered at your hands.”

While I said so, I increased my magic power.

“Because I’ve already finished my experiment here, I would like to be excused and
leave this place.”

“But if I let you leave, it looks like you’ll be more of an annoyance. That’s why just
surrender quietly!”

Then, I took out the Vibration Sword, and shot Flame Arrows.

“Whoopsie, this looks like it’s going to get ugly.”

And so, he constructed a magic barrier.

BOOM!!

The Flame Arrow hit the magic barrier. However, the barrier didn’t look like it was
destroyed.

“That was dangerous… If the barrier was just even a little thinner, it would been
destroyed.”

As he said so, he looked towards me.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 266 | 279
“Hey…”

There’s no way he could have stayed in the same spot!

With the amount of magic power he has, I expected Schtrom to prevent the attack, and
I circled around his back and launched an attack.

I swung the Vibration Sword.

“Kuh!”

Whether he was aware of the magic power, or if it was just his intuition, he escaped
from the Vibration Sword’s path.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 267 | 279
“That was dangerous. That sword, is a magic tool, right?”

“Who knows.”

I decided not to answer Schtrom’s question, and continued to charge at him.

“As I thought, you’re very dangerous.”

And so, he cast magic without any chant. I jumped to the side and avoided his attack,
and even though it caused an explosion behind me, I ignore it and attacked with
Vibration Sword again.

“Whoops! As I thought, that sword is troublesome.”

This time, he avoided the Vibration Sword by jumping backwards.

“You’re a Magician, right? You should have more trouble defending against physical
attacks!”

With that, I kicked the ground and charged. At the same time, an Earth Lance flew out
from the ground, thrusting towards Schtrom.

“Whoopsie, this is really amazing.”

He said so while soaring high into the sky.

“You’re defenseless if you’re up there!”

While Schtrom was still in the air, I shot a wide flame at him. With this, even if he were
to twist his body, he shouldn’t be able to avoid it.

“Ah!”

Sure enough, Schtrom was surprised. He panicked and constructed a magic barrier in
a hurry. With this, he should take some damage.

Flames then surrounded Schtrom. Although I expected him to fall, that it didn’t
happen.

“However, I think it’s foul play to be floating in the sky.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 269 | 279
Schtrom has been floating in the air. Floating magic? Such a thing shouldn’t have
worked. However, Schtrom was actually floating in mid-air. This is outrageous.

“Fuu, I really was being impatient just now. My robe has been scorched.”

“But there’s no damage to your body.”

“No, no, if you look closely, have received some damage? As expected of the grandson
of the Hero, you are indeed the person who subdued the devil.”

“Why… thank you very much!”

I activated the Jet Boots I remodeled after reflecting on the past battle, and jumped
towards Schtrom.

“What in the world!?”

“ORAaaa!!”

Once again, I swung the Vibration Sword. This time, the tip of the sword grazed
Schtrom’s face. Dammit, it just grazed him!

“GUAAAaaa!!”

Although I thought his injury was small, he reacted exaggeratedly.

“ORAaaa! One more time!”

With the opportunity, this time, I created a Wind Blade.

The attack from the Wind Blade hit Schtrom. The attacks from the Wind Blade made
cuts in Schtrom’s body one after another, and it also damaged his robe and his eye-
patch.

“Don’t get… so FULL OF YOURSEEEELLLLFFFFfff!!!”

“UWAH!”

He suddenly released magic power. And I, who was hovering in the air, lost my balance
because of the pressure. I activated Jet Boots at once, fixed my posture, and landed on

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 270 | 279
the ground.

While I was watching the still airborne Schtrom who was releasing magic, he looked
at where I was.

I guess his eye-patch was damaged by the Vibration Sword and the Wind Blade.
Because the eyepatch flew away while he was releasing his magic power. There was
not a single scratch on his eyes. However, therein laid…

“Red… Eyes…?”

Seeing Schtrom with standing there with red eyes, my eyes widened. The magic power
he has released is abominable, it was obviously the characteristics of a devil.

“Now you’ve finally done it, Walford-kun. If possible, I wanted to leave this place while
keeping my identity hidden.”

“There’s no way, right…? A devil who is able to maintain his rationality?”

Everyone around were also all shocked. It was only natural, there’s no way a devil
would have rationality. It was something everyone knew of. Nevertheless, the damage
it dealt was unimaginable. Then, I wondered what would happen if a devil were to
maintain its rationality….

“Since it still has its rationality intact, it doesn’t seem like it’ll randomly go berserk.”

“Hehe, if I was to randomly use this magic power, wouldn’t I be subjugated

immediately? I wouldn’t do such a stupid thing. Nevertheless, I knew that a punitive
force would immediately arrive to subjugate a devil. That’s why I wanted to hide my
true identity.”

“Then, does that mean you don’t particularly want to harm humans?”

“Fufufu, AhahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

When Schtrom heard my words, he began to laugh hysterically.

“Exactly what are you expecting? Pal! Human beings are an existence I could care less
about!!”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 271 | 279
“What did you say…!”

“After I received this body, human beings became nothing but trifling existence! I’ll use
them all I want! Trick them endlessly! Kill them all I want! I’ll do anything until they
no longer exist!!”

He’s gone insane. This guy is a devil through and through. He has become an existence
that is an enemy to all mankind. Not good. It won’t be good unless he is stopped right
now!

“OOOOOO!!”

I raised a cry and jumped.

“That attack again?”

Schtrom tried to counter with magic, but I activated my jet boots, did a sudden stop.
Then, I went behind him and and distance myself from Schtrom.

“Wh-what?”

Although Schtrom dodge my attack, he had a dubious expression on his face, but I
already finished casting my magic.

“TAKE THHHHIIIISSSS!!!”

“What did you say!?”

The rays of sunlight converged at the spot right above Schtrom, and shot down
towards him. Schtrom, who assumed the magic I had just fired was nothing but heat
magic, received the attack directly.

“GUUUAAAAAAaaaa!!!”

Schtrom screamed the moment the attack hit him. Did it work this time?

Then, Schtrom once again appeared with burn marks all over his body.

“Why you… How dare you. How dare you do this to me…”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 272 | 279
“Tch! That also didn’t work.”

“No, no… It was actually quite effective, you know? Once I have completed my purpose,
the next thing I’ll do is kill you!”

After he said so, he suddenly released an explosion magic. Schtrom’s body was then
concealed in the explosion, and everyone lost sight of Schtrom for a moment.

“Now then, Walford-kun, Orth-san, and everyone else. I should really be leaving now,
so please excuse me.”

I heard Schtrom’s voice coming from above. When I looked up, I saw him still standing
mid-air while healing his body.

“You bastard! Come down here!”

A Knight uncle started shouting at him. However, Schtrom just disregarded his words.

“There’s no one idiotic enough to purposely let people catch him. Now then, everyone,
let us meet again.”

After he said that, he increased his altitude even more.

“Dammit!”

Although I immediately activated Jet Boots while jumping up, I was too slow. Schtrom
used this opportunity to increase his speed and left the place.

After adjusting Jet Boots in mid-air, I landed on the ground.

“Goddammit! He escaped!”

“All personnel! Immediately give chase! At the same time, increase the security around
the Royal Capital! Security Office, Military Personnels, you all must be vigilant and
cooperate with each other! However, absolutely do not act alone! And do not forget
that the opponent is a devil!!”

“Yes, Sir!!” [Said by everyone]

The Knight uncle from earlier gave instructions to everyone. Afterwards, the uncle

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 273 | 279
came towards me while looking adverse with and fell on one knee. Eh? Why?

” “It’s been a while since we’ve last met, Prince Augusto.” ”

Before I knew it, Gus was standing by my side. At the same time, the others were also
there. Wait a minute…

“You didn’t escape again?”

“Shin-kun! Are you hurt anywhere!?”

“I’m okay, it’s okay already!”

While Sicily was patting my body to look for injuries again, my eyes met with Gus’.

“Ah… because I knew of him as an intellectual human… but I never would have thought
he was actually a devil. When I found out that he was a devil… I was so surprised that
I didn’t even have any thoughts of running away.”

“Even so, it was very dangerous. In the first place, what are you doing in a place like
this?”

“What do you mean, I was just walking around the city with friends from the academy
before heading home, you know?”

“Please think of your position.”

“Thor, Julius, in addition to Shin are with me. It should be fine, right?”

“That’s not the problem here…”

“Don’t be so inflexible, Dominic. It is as the Prince said. He has two escorts with him.
Also, didn’t you see what happened earlier? He did after all repel the devil earlier.”

An uncle wearing a robe said to the Knight uncle.

“Rather than repelling it, I let it escape…”

“Please don’t say something like that! If you were not here during that ordeal, we
might have been completely wiped out. Thank you very much, Shin Walford-kun.”

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 274 | 279
“Ah, I haven’t expressed my gratitude. Thank you, Walford-kun.”

The two people lowered their head.

“No, no. Because he is the cause for all the trouble, I wanted to personally take care of
him, so please don’t mind it.”

“Even so. It’s still a fact that we had been saved.”

“That’s exactly right. So thank you.”

“Even so, your strength is indeed amazing just like it was said in the rumors. As
expected of Merlin-sama’s grandson.”

“You also have an amazing swordsmanship skill. It was exactly as I’ve heard from
Michel-sama.”

“Are you acquainted with Michel-san?”

“Ah, sorry for my late introduction, my name is Dominic Gastolle. I’m the Knight Order
General, Michel-sama’s successor. I’ve heard a lot of things about you from Michel-
sama. He said there was an interesting boy who has amazing talent for magic and
martial arts. He said he’s looking forward to the future.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Who he’s the person who succeeded Michel-san. Even so, what a rumor to spread
around, Michel-san…

“I’m Rupper Holgran, the leader of the Magic Division.”

The evil looking father was actually the head of the Magic Division. Apart from Sieg-
niichan, is everyone from the Magic Division like this?

“I also heard a lot from Siegfried. About a child who uses magic that defies all common
sense. What was that last attack? A lot of heat had suddenly gathered and fell from the
sky. Take a look at that.”

When he said that, everyone looked up at where it fell from.

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 275 | 279
“Look, even the ground had been vitrified due to the excessive heat. I wonder how high
the temperature was.”

When they all saw it, everyone fell silent.

“That thing, what did you do? Walford-kun.”

“What, you ask, I just gathered the sunlight’s heat rays and fired it.”

“The sunlight? Why does it have that much power?”

Ah, they also don’t know about it.

“There’s more than just one kind of heat ray that comes from the sunlight, I also
imagined different kinds of heat ray from various kinds of sunlight, and converged
them.”

“…I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to understand it very well.”

“Don’t worry about it Holgran, there’s isn’t a single person here who can understand
it. I also heard that there’s some magic that even the Magi-dono couldn’t understand
himself. Because the things in this person’s head are strange.”

“Isn’t that a little too cruel!?”

“Haaa, if the Prince says so, then I’ll try not to worry about it. However…”

“Even with this magic, you still weren’t able to finish him…”

The pair of top brass from the Knight Order and the Magic Division fell silent.

“Come to think of it, he said something about having an objective.”

“You’re right, exactly what he is plotting!”

“Since it turned out like this, we all need to be on our guards. We need to be vigilant
and keep our eyes wide open, so that we don’t be caught unaware.”

Because of this, I regret having let Schtrom escaped. But if because I was afraid it might
damage the surroundings, I couldn’t use stronger magic. After I used that magic, I

t r a i t o r A I Z E N 276 | 279
noticed that if the attack were to suddenly fall from the sky, and if it was not used
carefully, it would most definitely cause a lot of damage. Nevertheless, I needed to use
a more powerful attack to damage him…

“Ah! Really! I should have just used a stronger magic to attack him!”

“Stronger magic, you say…”

“You’re saying that wasn’t your full strength…!”

Since it had already happened, it can’t be helped. However, the next time I meet
Schtrom, I’ll definitely kill him!

That’s what I had decided in my heart.

“By the way, since this had happened, this is not the time to be carrying out a bestowal
ceremony!”

I said to Gus.

“These tidings cannot be announced. The people will not accept it if the ceremony is
not carried out as planned.”

Another gag order, huh…

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